Enigma 11/06/14

ANTIPOPPrimus is all about Les Claypool; there isn't a moment on any of theirrecords where his bass isn't the main focal point of the music, with hisvocals acting as a bizarre side-show. Which isn't to deny guitarist LarryLaLonde or drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander any credit; no drummercould weave in and around Claypool's convoluted patterns as effortless-ly as Alexander, and few guitarists would willingly push the spotlightaway, like LaLonde does, just to can produce a never-ending spiral ofavant-noise. All of this means that they are miles away from being anoth-er punk-funk combo like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Primus road-show will be coming to Atlanta on Friday where they will perform at TheTabernacle.

STORMFRONTAfter scoring two top 10 singles (“I Get Off” and “It’s Not You”) from theirself-titled debut and touring steadily for two years with acts as diverseas Shinedown, Stone Sour, Disturbed, Megadeth, Papa Roach, Godsmackand countless others, Pennsylvania quartet Halestorm are back with theirsecond full-length, The Strange Case of…. Musically diverse and emotion-ally revealing, the album resonates with a newfound poignancy thattakes Halestorm to a new level of creative achievement. Halestorm per-forms Tuesday night in Chattanooga at Track 29.

ENIGMA NOVEMBER 6 2014 3

LEARNING TO CRAWLSeparating Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders is an impossibility. Fromthe start, Hynde was the undisputed leader of the band -- its lead singerand songwriter, its heart and soul -- but as the group started to losemembers to a variety of tragedies, her name and face became synony-mous with the group, the one constant over the decades. She'd occasion-ally step outside of the confines of the band. She’s got a new solo albumout and will be performing Monday at the Ryman Auditorium inNashville, TN.

It’s no stretch to say that RobHalford will go down in history asone of the most revered andpowerful singers in rock music.There’s a reason he’s called aMetal God by his legion of fans,

and that’s taking nothing awayfrom the vocal prowess of thelate, great Ronnie James Dio. TheJudas Priest front man simplyembodies the spirit and soul ofmetal.

Case in point! Several years ago,when Judas Priest toured as thespecial guests on Ozzfest featur-ing a reunited Black Sabbath,Sharon Osbourne called Rob latein the afternoon with a request.

Ozzy had developed bronchitisand couldn’t sing with Sabbaththat night. Would he mind step-ping in for him? Undaunted,Halford said yes. After the Priest


Judas Priest StillScreaming for Vengeance

set, Rob sat in his dressing roomand calmly had a spot of tea.When the lights went down, hewalked out on stage with BlackSabbath. He told the audienceOzzy was sick and he’d be takinghis place. Instead of jeers andhordes asking for refunds, theassembled, sold-out crowd inCamden, New Jersey cheeredwildly. They were going to wit-ness a unique moment in musichistory never to be forgotten.That reception is typical of theincredible respect Rob Halfordhas earned in the heavy metalcommunity over the five decadeshe’s been creating decibel shat-tering music. Even when JudasPriest announced they weregoing to call it quits with therelease of their first album in sixyears, RReeddeeeemmeerr ooff SSoouullss, thatcircumstance changed as well.The infusion of new blood in theform of guitarist Richie Faulknerhas unleashed a new kind ofbeast in Priest that’s present ontheir current tour with the talent-ed and entertaining Steel Panter.So much for retirement!

IItt’’ss pprreettttyy rreemmaarrkkaabbllee tthhaatt aatt tthhiissssttaaggee ooff yyoouurr lliiffee,, yyoouu’’rree ssttiillllttoouurriinngg wwiitthh JJuuddaass PPrriieesstt 4400 yyeeaarrssaafftteerr tthhee rreelleeaassee oo ff iittss ffiirrssttaallbbuumm.. IItt’’ss aassttoonniisshhiinngg mmoorree tthhaanniitt iiss iinnccrreeddiibbllee..

RRoobb HHaallffoorrdd –It’s a great blessing,really, to be able to keep doingwhat we do. There comes a pointin your life where you finally

have figured it out. Many timesGlenn (Tipton) and I will just lookat each other and nod becausethere aren’t any words that needto be said. We are blessed that somany people are coming out tosee our show. We are on the roaddoing what we were born to do.The whole reason for me beingon planet Earth is to go aroundthe world making metal. That’sthe way it is really, for me.

YYoouurr ffoouurr ddeeccaaddeess iinn tthhiiss bbuussii--nneessss hhaass cceerrttaaiinnllyy ggiivveenn yyoouu aa ddiiff--

ffeerreenntt ppeerrssppeeccttiivvee oonn lliiffee..

I feel like I’m turning into theWillie Nelson of heavy metalbecause I’m always on the road,I’m always at the studio or I’mwriting. I love music with such apassion, I find it difficult to findanything else that interests me,or gives me pleasure. I told aninterviewer recently that Ihaven’t taken a vacation in some30 odd years. When I stop mov-ing, the last thing I want to do isgo on a plane and fly somewhereto sit on a beach. That kind ofthinking drives me off a cliff.

TThhoommaass EEddiissoonn wwaass ffaammoouussllyyqquuootteedd aass ssaayyiinngg ssuucccceessss iiss 1100ppeerrcceenntt iinnssppiirraattiioonn ,, 9900 ppeerrcceennttppeerrssppiirraatt iioonn.. TThhaatt mmaayy bbee ttrruuee iinntthhee bbuussiinneessss wwoorrlldd,, bbuutt nnoott iinn

aarrtt iisstt oorr wwiitthh JJuuddaass PPrriieesstt,, hhaassbbeeccoommee tthhee ssoouunnddttrraacckk ffoorr aa ggeenn--eerraattiioonn ooff aa hhaarrdd rroocckk ffaannss.. WWhheennppeeooppllee sseeee yyoouu iinn ccoonncceerrtt,, yyoouurrccllaassssiicc mmaatteerriiaall ttrraannssppoorrttss tthheemmbbaacckk iinn ttiimmee.. TThhee nneeww mmuussiiccyyoouu’’vvee ccrreeaatteedd mmaakkeess tthheemmaapppprreecciiaattee tthhee ffaacctt yyoouu’’rree aassvviibbrraanntt ttooddaayy aass yyoouu wweerree yyeesstteerr--ddaayy..

I can’t do what I do without thefans supporting me. To still beappreciated after all this time foryour music is quite humbling. Thefans have called me to the Houseof Blues in Dallas, so I’ll be there.You and I are talking because ofyour love of rock and roll. Weare all intertwined with eachother’s lives because of the waymusic makes us feel, and I findthat fascinating. The messages ofmusic, and the way you relate toit personally, is a shared experi-ence for both the artist and theiraudience. Musicians reveal a lotof themselves emotionally whenthey sing their songs. It’s a kindof unique relationship what wedo – this observation on life weshare with love and passion toour audience.

AA ffrriieenndd oonnccee aasskkeedd mmee wwhhyy IInneevveerr iinntteerrvviieewweedd aaccttoorrsstthhrroouugghhoouutt tthhee 3300 ssoommee ooddddyyeeaarrss II hhaavvee bbeeeenn ddooiinngg tthhiiss jjoobb..II ttoolldd hheerr aaccttoorrss ppllaayy mmaannyy rroolleess

mmuussiicc.. IInn ffaacctt,, II’’dd ttuurrnn tthhoossee nnuumm--bbeerrss aarroouunndd.. IItt’’ss ffuunnnnyy hhooww ttiimmeeiiss sseeeemmiinngg llyy ssuussppeennddeedd ffoorr aammuussiicciiaann bbeeccaauussee iinnssppiirraattiioonn iisstthhee ddrriivviinngg ffaaccttoorr iinn tthheeiirr wwoorrlldd,,ffoolllloowweedd bbyy tthhee ppeerrssppiirraatt iioonn nneecc--eessssaarryy ttoo ccoommpplleettee tthhaatt ccrreeaattiivveessppaarrkk..

I agree with you. What we do inthis business – rock and roll –puts us in a different universeespecially where time is con-cerned. Once you are committedto making a record, going into

the studio to record it, then goout on the road to support thealbum’s release, that’s like a twoor three year slot of your lifetaken up in terms of commit-ment. You multiply that factor byfive, six, ten album projects, anda big chunk of your life haspassed you by. Compared to thequote “real” jobs some of myfriends have back in the U.K. orPhoenix, they think I’m living insome parallel universe. But hey,no complaints here; I’m going tokeep doing this for as long as Ican.

YYoouurr mmuussiicc,, wwhheetthheerr aass aa ssoolloo

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“But you know – I’m just asinger in a rock and roll band.”

iinn tthheeiirr lliiffeettiimmee aanndd nnoonnee oofftthheemm rreeaall.. MMuussiicc,, oonn tthhee ootthheerrhhaanndd,, ccoommeess ffrroomm tthhee ssoouull..NNoobbooddyy rreemmeemmbbeerrss tthhee ffiirrssttmmoovviiee tthheeyy eevveerr aatttteennddeedd,, bbuutttthheeyy nneevveerr ffoorrggeett tthhaatt ffiirrsstt ccoonn--cceerrtt.. PPeeoopp llee ddoonn’’tt bboonndd oovveerraaccttoorrss ffrroomm ffiillmmss,, bbuutt tthheeyy ddoouunniittee oovveerr mmuussiicciiaannss aanndd tthhee lloovveeooff tthheeiirr mmuussiicc..

It’s cool that you pointed thatout. When Judas Priest toured the30th anniversary of British Steel,you could feel the love the peo-ple had for Priest. When weplayed “Living after Midnight” or“Breaking the Law”, it was like wetransported ourselves and thefans back in time. Rock and roll,heavy metal, it’s like a timemachine. I’m with you on themovie thing. That’s an entirelydifferent experience. Music issuch an intrinsic part of life andour own well-being; it carries farmore impact than probably any-thing else that we experience inlife. The real power of rock androll is the way it’s enmeshed inour lives. It keeps us all close andconnected.

WWhheenn yyoouu ssaaiidd mmuussiicc iiss lliikkee aattiimmee mmaacchhiinnee,, yyoouurr rreeffeerreennccee ttootthhee BBrriittiisshh SStteeeell aallbbuumm iimmmmeeddii--aatteellyy ttooookk mmee bbaacckk iinn ttiimmee ttoo11998800.. EEvveerryy ttiimmee II hheeaarr tthhaattaallbbuumm ttiittllee,, II rreeccaallll wwrriittiinngg aabblluurrbb tthhaatt ssaaiidd tthhee mmaasstteerr ttaappeessttoo tthhaatt ssppeecciiffiicc rreeccoorrdd hhaadd bbeeeennssttoolleenn.. DDoo yyoouu rreemmeemmbbeerr tthhaatteevveenntt??

Yes I do. There was a real senseof panic in the band because wehad already booked a tour to sup-port the new album and wecouldn’t cancel it. Your masterrecordings, especially in the olddays of reel-to-reel tapes, werelike gold. Those are the thingsyou kept in a vault hidden awayin a bank. To an extent today, thehard drives that store yourrecordings, those are like pre-cious jewels you keep in a safe aswell. We went through a very dif-ficult time trying to recover all of

those valuable pieces of informa-tion on those tapes. Thank theLord we were able to. It wastouch and go back then.Thankfully we had a lot of luck,and with some research andother assistance, we were able tosort it all out.

TThheerree hhaavvee bbeeeenn ffeeww vvooccaalliissttss iinntthhee hhiissttoorryy ooff hheeaavvyy mmeettaall wwhhoosseessiinnggiinngg ssttyyllee hhaass bbeeeenn aass iinnfflluueenn--ttiiaall aanndd iinnssttaannttllyy rreeccooggnniizzaabbllee aassyyoouurr oowwnn.. DDoo yyoouu sseeee tthhaatt aassbbootthh aa bblleessssiinngg aanndd aa ccuurrssee,, eessppee--cciiaallllyy wwhheenn yyoouu aarree ttrryyiinngg ttooeessttaabblliisshh aa sseeppaarraattee iiddeennttiittyy wwiitthhyyoouurr mmuussiicc iinn yyoouurr ssoolloo wwoorrkk??

There’s very little you can dothere, and I dare say, it’s that wayfor any musician. When a gui-tarist creates their own specific

sound, character and style withtheir instrument, they carry thatwith them. That is their identity.It’s the same way with singers. Myvoice, I imagine, is recognizablewherever I go. The only thing Ican do is surround the voice withsolid opportunities, and thatinvolves working with solid musi-cians. In my solo work, I can be abit more private and talk aboutthings that have happened to justme. There are things I wouldn’tfeel comfortable expressing inJudas Priest because that band is

a whole different experience. Butyou know – I’m just a singer in arock and roll band. That’s all Iever wanted to be and do. Thevoice is what it is. I’m lucky it cando a lot of the things I want it todo. Certainly I can’t sing some ofthe notes I did some 30 odd yearsago. That’s the physical thing ofgrowing older – father time tak-ing its toll. That doesn’t botherme. In fact, I love that feeling ofknowing I have to change myvocal style slightly to accommo-date the subtle changes in thevoice. I actually embrace gettingolder. I’m not in the least bitscared of it. I am enjoying allthese fantastic opportunities myfans still give me in music.Sometimes, I wonder what I’mgoing to be doing 10 years fromnow. I’ll be in the business, still

singing, but what it will be I justdon’t know what.

II’’mm aa ffiirrmm bbeelliieevveerr tthhaatt mmuussiicckkeeeeppss yyoouu yyoouunngg aatt hheeaarrtt nnoo mmaatt--tteerr hhooww oolldd yyoouu ggrrooww pphhyyssiiccaallllyyiinn yyeeaarrss.. YYoouu aarree aa ppeerrffeecctt eexxaamm--ppllee ooff tthhaatt.. BByy kkeeeeppiinngg yyoouurrsseellffrreelleevvaanntt,, yyoouu kkeeeepp yyoouurr ffaannss tthhaattwwaayy aass wweellll.. TThhaatt’’ss aa ggrreeaatt tteessttaa--mmeenntt ttoo tthhee ccaarreeeerr yyoouu’’vvee hhaadd iinntthhiiss bbuussiinneessss..

I mentioned in a humorous way,not disrespectful, that somebodylike Willie Nelson, who I reallyadmire, is always on the roadperforming well into his ‘70s. Youalso have Leonard Cohen, whojust went out on the road andhe’s in his ‘70s as well. And thenyou have the Rolling Stones. Iagree. As long as you can do thejob right, and not be a disap-pointment, there’s no reason toswitch it off. Only you can makethe decision when it’s time tostop. In this business, you futureis truly in your own hands. Youmake the choice when it’s time tocall it a day. For me, I can’t imag-ine stopping. This is like waterfor me, my body craves it. If Ican’t get on a stage and sing, orbe in a band to write and recordsongs, life would be very, verydifficult for me.

II’’vvee aallwwaayyss bbeeeenn ccuurriioouuss aabboouuttoonnee tthhiinngg RRoobb.. TThhee bbaanndd wwiinnss tthhee11999900 cciivviill ccaassee llooddggeedd aaggaaiinnsstttthheemm aalllleegg iinngg aa JJuuddaass PPrriieesstt ssoonnggwwaass rreessppoonnssiibbllee ffoorr tthhee sseellff --


“Honestly, I don’t think thatmuch about the past. I am more

concerned about the now.”

iinnfflliicctteedd gguunnsshhoott wwoouunnddss ooff ttwwooUUttaahh tteeeennss.. WWiitthh tthhee ttrriiaall ff iinnaalloovveerr,, ddiidd iitt ccaauussee yyoouu ttoo rreeeexxaamm--iinnee yyoouurr rroollee iinn JJuuddaass PPrriieesstt aannddppeerrhhaappss ppuusshh yyoouu ttoowwaarrddss aa ssoollooccaarreeeerr oouuttssiiddee ooff PPrriieesstt??

No not really. I think the verdictmade me feel stronger about theband itself. The tremendous sup-port we received from fansaround the world touched us all.The trial was a very difficult

experience. We were alleged tohave done something that wasabhorrent to us. The fact some-one would suggest our music wascapable of causing something ashorrible as suicide made us feelreally, really ill both mentallyand physically. What came out ofthat afterwards, in terms of diffi-culties in life, you have tostraighten up and shake it off. Asa band, we had to keep movingforward. I think the end result of

the experience made us in JudasPriest stronger about what wewanted to do and be. As far asthat having any connection to mewanting to do any solo activities,the trial didn’t affect the deci-sion. It was in the cards anyway.Looking back over the years, theband has discussed what we pos-sibly should have done after thetrial and Painkiller tour. It prob-ably would have been a good ideato maybe take two or three years


off, to go and do whatever wewanted to do as individuals,whether it involved music or any-thing else. But that’s really a dif-ferent side of the story.

FFiirrsstt OOzzzzyy iiss ttaakkeenn ttoo ccoouurrtt 11998844bbyy ppaarreennttss ooff aa ddeepprreesssseedd tteeeennaagg--eerr wwhhoo ccoommmmiitttteedd ssuuiicciiddee.. TThheeyybbllaammeedd hhiiss ssoonngg ,, ““SSuuiicc iiddeeSSoolluuttiioonn”” aass tthhee ccuullpprriitt ffoorr iinncciitt --iinngg tthheeiirr ssoonn ttoo ttaakkee hhiiss oowwnn lliiffee..TThheenn yyoouu hhaavvee aa ssoonngg bbyy JJuuddaassPPrriieesstt ppuutt oonn ttrriiaall bbeeccaauussee ppaarr--eennttss wweerree uunnwwiilllliinngg ttoo sshhoouullddeerraannyy oo ff tthhee rreessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy ooff tthheeiirrcchhiillddrreenn’’ss aaccttiioonnss.. TThheerree wwaassmmoorree ggooiinngg oonn iinn tthheessee ttrriiaallss tthhaanntthhee eeyyee ccoouulldd sseeee..

The real element of this trialmost important to Judas Priest,and our fans, was to let the worldsee this had nothing to do withmusic. Ozzy would tell you thesame thing. In our case, this wasa sad situation those boys wereliving their lives in. The verdictvindicating us reinforced the factthat nobody is responsible foryour kids but yourself. As par-ents, you can only do as much asyou can do. It’s not about point-ing the finger of blame. The realissue of that trial was addiction

to drugs and booze, which is aworld I know quite well. Thoseaddictions have been in my life,and it’s the reason I wrote thesong “Twenty-Five Years” on mylast solo record, Made of Metal.That’s what the song is about. Iknow what destructive thingsaddiction can do to a person.Looking back, the trial was a verypowerful experience and webecame stronger people becauseof it.

OOvveerr tthhee yyeeaarrss II’’vvee bbeeeenn oobbsseerrvv--iinngg mmuussiicc,, hheerree’’ss tthhee oonnee tthhiinngg IIddoonn’’tt uunnddeerrssttaanndd.. WWhheenn aa ggrroouuppooff mmuussiicciiaannss ggeett ttooggeetthheerr ttoo bbuuiillddaa bbaanndd,, ttoo ccrreeaattee aa nnaammee ffoorrtthheemmsseellvveess wwiitthh tthheeiirr ssoonnggss,, aannddtthheenn ssuucccceeeedd,, wwhhyy iiss tthheerree aannuurrggee bbyy tthhee ssiinnggeerr ttoo bbrreeaakk aawwaayyaanndd ssttaarrtt ssoommeetthhiinngg bbrraanndd nneeww??NNoo mmaatttteerr wwhheerree tthhaatt ppeerrssoonnggooeess,, oorr wwhhaatt ssoonnggss tthheeyy ssiinngg,,tthheeiirr ppaasstt iiddeenntt iittyy ssttaayyss wwiitthhtthheemm nnoo mmaatttteerr wwhhaatt .. WWaass FFiigghhttrreeaallllyy aa nneecceessssaarryy tthhiinngg ffoorr yyoouuttoo ddoo iinn tthhee eeaarrllyy ‘‘9900ss??

Honestly, it was a compulsion

within me to explore. Think ofyourself sitting in a library andreading just one book. That’swhat Judas Priest had become tome. We had written several chap-ters together and I felt it wastime for me to write a differentbook. Part of my make-up hasalways been this sense of adven-ture I have within me when itcomes to music. I’ve always beencurious about the opportunitiesmusic can bring when you openyourself up to work with differ-

ent musicians and producers.One part of me was always satis-fied, to a certain extent, with allthe things I love about JudasPriest. On the other hand, I wasalways wondering what wouldhappen if I hooked up with thisplayer or that player. The possi-bilities that come out of collabo-rations with other artists – thatsense of exploring outside thecomfort zone – that to me is whatmusic’s really all about.

GGoooodd ppooiinntt..

If you look at all the great rockand roll bands that have beenlucky enough to make a long lifein this business, a lot of us havegone from our established bandsto embark on some solo experi-ences. It is just something thatdrives you. Like I mentioned ear-lier, you really want to see what’son the next page. I think it’s areally good thing actually. Win orlose, so what? You don’t knowwhat you are missing until you tryit. Life is a gift. It’s about gettingthis much out, and putting asmuch into it as you possible canwith no regrets. As a musicianthat is very important to me.

HHaadd yyoouu rreeaacchheedd tthhee ppooiinntt wwiitthhPPrriieesstt wwhheerree yyoouu ffeelltt ccoonnssuummeeddbbyy yyoouurr oowwnn ccrreeaatt iioonn aanndd yyoouunneeeeddeedd ttoo sstteepp oouuttssiiddee tthhee ffrraammee--wwoorrkk iinn oorrddeerr ttoo ccoommee bbaacckk wwiitthhaa rreenneewweedd ssppiirriitt??

Honestly, I don’t think that muchabout the past. I am more con-cerned about the now. I amalways thinking about what to donext. Once I have written a song,created a record then toured, it’sgone for me. I will cherish thememories that particularsequence of events brought me,but it’s gone. When I recreatethose moments down the road,like “Breaking the Law”, it’s anincredibly valuable experience.But beyond that, what drives meis the sense of the unknown.That’s the great adventure in rockand roll music. It’s the position Ifind myself in now. In this busi-ness, at some point you have tostep outside your comfort zone,you have too! Some people growup and want to live in the samehouse they were born in. If that’sall you want out of life, that’sgreat. The creative processalways gets me excited. Thatsense of urgency, more than any-thing else, is what really drivesme. I’m always up for the search,the musical journey, to take meplaces I haven’t been before. It’sall powerful and very compelling.

HHooww aawwaarree,, aanndd hhooww ddiiff ffiiccuulltt iiss iittffoorr yyoouu,, ttoo wwaallkk tthhaatt ffiinnee lliinneebbeettwweeeenn yyoouurr oowwnn ppaasstt,, aanndd wwhhaattyyoouu aarree ttrryyiinngg ttoo ccrreeaattee iinn tthheepprreesseenntt??

It’s not difficult at all, and I’ll tellyou why. I try not to think aboutit that much. It’s easy to kill thesoul and spirit of what we do. Ifyou lie awake at night thinkingabout stuff like that, maybe youshould be doing something else.It’s okay to ponder the possibili-ties just to get the greatness outof it. But if you feel you’re on atight wire, and afraid you’regoing to fall off, that’s not such abad thing. Rock and roll is sup-posed to be a little bit dangerous,and thrilling, at the same time.I’m still getting the biggest thrillout of what I do, probably moreso now than before.

- David Huff


“I feel like I’m turning into theWillie Nelson of heavy metal...”

team found itself backpedaling

and defending. Gas is well

under three bucks a gallon.

The stock market is soaring.

Unemployment figures are

encouraging. But the

Democrats were unable to

adequately articulate their

successes or defend their fail-

ures…

…Pundits are predicting a

Republican majority in the

Senate, even though at least

three races may come down to

a runoff. Votes are still being

counted as I type this and exit

polls are still being tabulated.

But a poll conducted by the

Associated Press and the tele-

vision networks shows voter

dissatisfaction with both

Obama and Republican con-

gressional leaders. Only one in

five voters interviewed said

they trusted the government

to do what is right “most or all

of the time.” That ratio is

worse than it was in 1994, the

last time the exit poll asked

that question. The Republicans

won control of the House and

Senate in those elections.

More than 40% of those polled

Tuesday disapprove of both

Obama and Congress. Obama’s

disapproval exceeded 50%

among the 13,000 voters

polled. More than three quar-

ters of those interviewed dis-

approved of congressional

Republicans…

…Read that last sentence

again. More than three quar-

ters of those interviewed dis-

“Midterm” elections are often

considered to be a referen-

dum on the current president.

And that’s what has the

Democrats running scared on

this particular Tuesday night.

President Obama’s 41.8%

approval rating kept him side-

lined during the House and

Senate campaigns. But that

didn’t stop Republican chal-

lengers from trying to tarnish

Democratic incumbents with

the Obama brush… or prevent

Republican incumbents from

casting themselves as critical

defenders against the Obama

onslaught…

…The pachyderm party hit

Obama on Obamacare, federal

spending and immigration pol-

icy. For its part, the donkey

approved of congressional

Republicans. There’s either

something weird about that

poll or something weird about

the predictions that the GOP

will take over the Senate and

build on its majority in the

House. Or maybe there’s just

something weird about voters

in general. Regardless, projec-

tions so far show that the

Republicans have picked up

two of the six seats they need

to take the Senate. There are

still a lot of votes to be cast,

but things don’t look good for

the Dems…

…I’m trying to imagine the last

two years of Obama’s presi-

dency with Republicans in

control of both houses. It will

make the current legislative

gridlock look like your high

school student council. I’d

expect the GOP to do all it can

to cripple or dismantle

Obamacare. I’d expect Obama

to exercise his veto power to

keep the Republicans from

running roughshod. I’d expect

a total shutdown on judicial

(and, potentially, Supreme

Court) appointments. I’d

expect even more dissatisfac-

tion with President Obama

and Congress…

…I’ll keep tracking the predic-

tions on the Senate race, but

it’s feeling like a done deal.

The Democrats can’t outspend

the Republicans on the cam-

paign trail and they can’t seem

to out-think them, either. I

guess we deserve the

inevitable catfighting and

chaos that seems inevitable at

this point…

- Mark Bedford


Midterm Mayhem

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (UPI) - Police inPennsylvania said a man whodressed as the yellow Teletubbieand broke into a friend’s homefor leftover Chinese food hasbeen charged with burglary.Bethlehem police said LehighUniversity student Terez OwensJr., 20, was dressed as Laa-Laa,the yellow Teletubbie, when heallegedly broke into a friend’shouse about 2 a.m. Sunday andfilled his “man purse” with left-

over Chinese food from therefrigerator. The door to the res-idence was damaged during thebreak-in, police said. Officerscaught up to Owens, who policesaid was dressed up for a nearbyHalloween party, shortly afterthe incident, but he was releasedwhen the victim initially declinedto press charges. “I guess the vic-tims thought about it and thelandlord got involved with thedamage,” Bethlehem police ChiefMark DiLuzio said. Owens hasnow been charged with burglary,police said. The chief said the

case was unusual for the depart-ment. “Not that many Teletubbiesget arrested,” he said. “You can’tmake it up.”

HOUSTON (UPI) - Texas prosecu-tors said a former school districtofficer told a woman she couldgo if she let him smell her feet orhanded over her underwear. TheHarris County District Attorney’sOffice said Cy-Fair School DistrictOfficer Patrick Quinn, who hassince been fired, pulled over awoman at 3 a.m. Aug. 11 for anexpired sticker and told her that

her vehicle smelled of marijuana.Quinn, who prosecutors saidshould not have been conductingtraffic stops as a school resourceofficer, claims to have found amarijuana grinder in thewoman’s car. The woman, whodenied ownership of the grinder,told authorities Quinn put her inthe back of his patrol car. Shesaid the officer told her shecould go free if she allowed himto smell her feet or if she gavehim her underwear. Documents


filed by prosecutors say Quinntold the woman if she allowedhim to smell her feet, “he wasprobably going to lick them, too.”However, Quinn apparently hada change of heart and told thewoman to “forget about it,” thedistrict attorney’s office said.The woman, who Quinn allowedto leave the scene, reported theincident the following day. Herinsurance card was found at thescene of the traffic stop and fin-gerprints on the card matchedQuinn, prosecutors said. Quinnwas charged with two counts ofofficial oppression.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL. - Sometimesyou have an itch you just have toscratch. And that is not always aeuphemism. Unfortunately forthis man, the itch he had was onhis testicles. It was unfortunatenot just because it is never goodto have itchy testicles, butbecause when you are in yourcar and trying to scratch them itlooks a lot like you are mastur-bating. That is what prompted awoman in the same parking lotwith this man to call the police.The woman told Port St. Lucie,Florida police she saw a man inhis vehicle “making an up anddown motion in the area of hiscrotch.” The woman didn’t seehis genitals but believed the manwas masturbating. Now here iswhere things get bizarre. Whenpolice spoke to the man, he

explained that he got the urge toscratch his testicles because hehas a rash there. When they weredisinclined to believe him hepulled up his shorts and poppedthe boys out, showing the offi-cers the, uhh, affected area.Police determined the man, whohas no criminal history, did notexpose himself and found noproof that he was performinglewd acts in public.

BRIGHTON, England (UPI) -British doctors said a man whounderwent brain surgery to getrid of seizures awoke to find hehad also lost his crippling fear ofspiders. Dr. Nick Medford, theman’s observing physician atBrighton and Sussex MedicalSchool and co-author of thestudy published in the Neurocasejournal, said the 44-year-old mansuffered from severe arachno-phobia before undergoing sur-gery on his amygdala — a portionof the brain partially responsiblefor handling fear — to stop hisrecurring seizures. The study,titled Abolition of lifelong specif-ic phobia: a novel therapeuticconsequence of left mesial tem-poral lobectomy, said the manreported he was no longer afraidof spiders after the surgery.Medford said the man insteadfound spiders fascinating andcould hold a living arachnidwithout fear. The researcherssaid the man’s fear may have

been stored in neural pathwaysin the part of the amygdala thatwas removed to halt the man’sseizures. Medford said furtherresearch on the subject could beconducted without unnecessaryinvasive procedures. “It’s notuncommon for people to havetemporal lobe surgery for severeepilepsy,” he said. “And arachno-phobia is supposed to be reason-ably common. So we might beable to test people for that pho-bia, or any other kind, beforeand after surgery.”

HUEYTOWN, Ala. (UPI) - A manwho robbed four Subway restau-rants in four days with a gunclaims he did it because he wasmad the “Jared Diet” didn’t workfor him. Zachary Torrance, 18,was arrested Friday by Hueytownpolice after someone saw sur-veillance videos on theHueytown Police Department’sFacebook page and recognizedTorrance from having witnessedhim purchase a gun holster at aWalmart. Police say he was evenwearing the same clothing andshoes as the suspect was the dayof the robbery. “He stated in thecourse of his interview he hadtried the ‘Jared Diet’ and it had-n’t worked for him like hethought it should have,” PoliceChief Chuck Hagler told WJBF.“He was trying to get his moneyback.” He has confessed to thecrime and will face sentencing.

He is currently being held with a$250,000 bail.

NEW YOR, NY - Well, that’s oneway to get somebody’s goat. Apair of what appeared to beskinned goat heads were founddangling from a street light at abusy Park Slope intersection inNew York, police said. At leastone witness called 911 after spot-ting the bloody animal headsattached to a piece of twinehanging above Ninth Street andFifth Avenue - sparking a policeinvestigation. The skulls dangledin the wind until shortly beforenoon, when a staffer from anearby car service company car-ried a ladder to the pole andknocked them down with a stick.That’s what they call a New YorkPinata. Some wondered whetherit was Santeria, a Halloweenprank or voodoo. “Maybe it’ssome of those wackos who go forSanteria or voodoo,” said localresident Louis Katenzakes. “It’sthe occult. They do rituals. Theykill animals.” The sighting wasn’tthe first example of animal bodyparts discovered in the area. InMarch, severed goat heads androoster heads were found inProspect Park. Other locals saidthey were unmoved. “It’s NewYork. I’ve seen the towers comedown, so beyond that, nothingreally stings that bad,” said J.Sapp, who works in the area.


This week’s calendar covers events fromThursday, November 6, through Wednesday,November 12. We would be happy to publish yourfree listing in future Billboards, space permitting.Simply mail us the information so that we have it7 days before the publication date. A photographmay be sent with the announcement. Send infor-mation to: Calendar Editor, Enigma, P.O. Box 825,Chattanooga, TN 37401 or e-mail [email protected]. All dates subject tochange without notice.

TTHHUURRSSDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 66

TTHHEE CCOOMMEEDDYY CCAATTCCHH (Chattanooga) Killer

Beaz

BBUUDD’’SS (Chattanooga) DJ Hammer

TTRREEMMOONNTT TTAAVVEERRNN (Chattanooga)

Songwriters Showcase

CCAAMMPP HHOOUUSSEE (Chattanooga) Open MicAARRII’’SS HHAARRBBOORR LLIIGGHHTTSS (Chattanooga) Keyz

BrownRRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Seven

Handle CircusTTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) O.A.R., Andy

GrammerJJ..JJ..’’SS BBOOHHEEMMIIAA (Chattanooga) The Black

Cadillacs, Daniel Ellsworth and the Great

Lakes

WWOORRKKPPLLAAYY TTHHEEAATTRREE (Birmingham)

Rachel Yamagata

MMAARRKK CC.. SSMMIITTHH CCOONNCCEERRTT HHAALLLL(Huntsville) Loretta LynnBBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) The New

Pornographers, The Pains of Being Pure

At HeartAAIISSLLEE 55 (Atlanta) Cunninlynguist, J-LiveMMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSS IICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

MastodonTTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Neon

Trees

FFRRIIDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 77


BeazRRAAWW (Chattanooga) DJ Reggie RegRRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Jerry

Garcia Band Cover Band

TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Kansas

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Mastodon

VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Ian Hunter

BBIIJJOOUU TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Robin Trower,

Kevin AbernathyTTHHEE IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL (Knoxville) The

FlooziesZZYYDDEECCOO (Birmingham) Foxy Shazam,

Masked Intruder, Sycamour

SSAATTUURRDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 88


Beaz

RRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Fly By

RadioBBAARRTT’’SS LLAAKKEESSHHOORREE (Chattanooga) DJ ERRAAWW (Chattanooga) DJ Reggie RegTTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Robin TrowerMMEETTRROOPPOOLL IITTAANN TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE(Chattanooga) Randy Stonehill, Buck

StormEEDDDDIIEE’’SS AATTTTIICC (Atlanta) Chris SmitherVVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) The

Horrors

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Primus

TTHHEE LLOOFFTT (Atlanta) Melvins

FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Aretha Franklin

AANNTTHHEEMM (Nashville) The Floozies

SSUUNNDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 99

TTHHEE CCOOMMEEDDYY CCAATTCCHH (Chattanooga) G.R.

Goodwin & Friends

SSKKYYZZOOOO (Chattanooga) DJ Exphacter

BBIIJJOOUU TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Dave Mason

SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Rufus

WainwrightTTHHEE EEAARRLL (Atlanta) Rev. Horton HeatBBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) James

Taylor

33RRDD && LLIINNDDSSLLEEYY (Nashville) Jeff Coffin

and the Mu’ Tet

MMOONNDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 1100

RRAAWW (Chattanooga) DJ Spicolli

TTRREEMMOONNTT TTAAVVEERRNN (Chattanooga) Trivia

NightTTHHEE OOFFFFIICCEE (Chattanooga) SpeakEasyFFOOXX && HHOOUUNNDD (Chattanooga) DJ

ExphacterTTHHEE LLOOFFTT (Atlanta) YelleTTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) InterpolCCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) John

Oates

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Chrissie

Hynde

IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) John Butler Trio

TTUUEESSDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 1111

RRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Uptown

Big BandRRAAWW (Chattanooga) DJ Spicolli

TTRREEMMOONNTT TTAAVVEERRNN (Chattanooga) Open

Mic w/ Mike McDade

SSOOUUTTHHSSIIDDEE TTAAVVEERRNN (Chattanooga) Troy

Underwood

TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Halestorm

TTEERRMMIINNAALL WWEESSTT (Atlanta) Dale Earnhardt

Jr. Jr.

MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

InterpolCCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Noah

GundersenZZYYDDEECCOO (Birmingham) Mayday Parade,

Tonight Alive, Major League, PvrisTTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) The Ready

Set, Metro Station, The Downtown

Fiction, Against the Current

WWEEDDNNEESSDDAAYY NNoovveemmbbeerr 1122

RRAAWW (Chattanooga) Open Jam w/

Jonathan Wimpee and friendsLLAASS MMAARRGGAARRIITTAA ’’SS (Chattanooga) Priscilla

& Little RickeeAARR II’’SS HHAARRBBOORR LL IIGGHHTTSS (Chattanooga) Keyz

Brown

TTHHEE TTAAVVEERRNN (Soddy-Daisy) Roberts &

Sims

RRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Kalob

Griffen Band

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Straight

No ChaserRROOCCKKEETTOOWWNN (Nashville) Issues, I Killed

the Prom Queen, Ghost Town,

Marmozets, NightmaresFFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Lynyrd Skynyrd,

Trace Adkins, Alabama, Gregg Allman,

The Charlie Daniels Band, Peter

Frampton, Warren Haynes, Jamey

Johnson, Moe, Gov’t Mule, Aaron Lewis,

Robert Randolph, Blackberry Smoke,

Cheap Trick, Donnie Van Zandt

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Atmosphere,

Prof, Dem Atlas, DJ FundoIINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL (Knoxville) Halestorm1111TTHH FFRRAAMMEE AATT MMAADDIISSOONN BBOOWWLL IINNGG CCEENN--TTEERR (Madison, AL) Puddle of MuddBBJJCCCC AARREENNAA (Birmingham) James TaylorIIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Grayson Capps,

The Mulligan Brothers

UUPPCCOOMMIINNGG EEVVEENNTTSS

TTHHEE MMEELLTTIINNGG PPOOIINNTT (Athens, GA) Aaron

Carter November 13CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Eric Hutchinson,

Tristan Prettyman, Nick Howard

November 13BBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Hannibal

Buress November 13

VVAARR IIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Dirty

Heads, Rome November13

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Daniel Lanois, Brian Blade November 13

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) John

Butler Trio November 13FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Straight No

Chaser November 14TTHHEE LLOOFFTT (Atlanta) Aaron Carter

November 14BBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Jenny

Lewis, Waxahatchee November 14

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Guided By Voices

November 14

SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Mary Chapin

Carpenter November 14

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) John Butler


Trio, Monica Heidal November 14


Sinead O’Connor November 14

CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Pierce

the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, Beartooth,

The Wild Life November 14KKNNOOXXVVIILLLLEE CCOOLLIISSEEUUMM (Knoxville) Little

Big Town, Brett Edredge, Brothers

Osborne November 14SSOOUUNNDD && PPAAGGEE (Birmingham) Charlie

Mars November 14IIRROONN HHOORRSSEE CCAAFFÉÉ (Birmingham) Puddle

of Mudd November 14

AALLAABBAAMMAA TTHHEEAATTRREE (Birmingham) St. Paul

& the Broken Bones November 14

JJ..JJ..’’SS BBOOHHEEMMIIAA (Chattanooga) Marina

Orchestra, Glowing Bordis, Jordan

Hallquist November 15AALLAABBAAMMAA TTHHEEAATTRREE (Birmingham) Straight

No Chaser November 15RROOCCKKEETTOOWWNN (Nashville) Aaron Carter

November 15CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Sinead O’Connor November 15

TTHHEE WWAARREEHHOOUUSSEE (Clarksville, TN) Puddle

of Mudd November 15

SSMMIITTHH’’SS OOLLDDEE BBAARR (Atlanta) Stroke 9

November 15

FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Little Big Town,

Brett Edredge, Brothers Osborne

November 15DDRRUUNNKKEENN UUNNIICCOORRNN (Atlanta) Alvvays

November 15TTEERRMMIINNAALL WWEESSTT (Atlanta) We Were

Promised Jetpacks November 16TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) Attila, Crown

the Empire, Like Moths to Flames, Sworn

In November 16

RREEDD LLIIGGHHTT CCAAFFÉÉ (Atlanta) Patty Larkin

November 16

VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Bebel

Gilberto November 16AANNTTHHEEMM (Nashville) B.o.B., Kevin Gates

November 16BBOOTTTTLLEETTRREEEE (Birmingham) Alvvays

November 16MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Dillon Francis November 17HHEEAAVVEENN AATT TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta)

Breathe Carolina, Candyland, Flinch,

Dotcom November 17

BBIIJJOOUU TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Leon Russell

November 17

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Leon

Russell November 18CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Pepper,

The Movement, New Beat Fund

November 18IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Method Man,

Redman, BReal, Mick Jenkins November

19BBOOTTTTLLEETTRREEEE (Birmingham) Southern

Culture on the Skids November 19

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Leon

Russell November 19

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Phillip

Phillips November 19JJUUPPIITTEERR OONN TTHHEE SSTTRRIIPP (Tuscaloosa)

Aaron Carter November 19IIMMPPRROOVV CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Atlanta) Dave

Koechner November 20TTHHEE SSTTAARR BBAARR (Atlanta) Southern Culture

on the Skids November 20

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) David

Grisman Sextet November 21

BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Slipknot,

Korn, King 810 November 21TTHHEE SSTTAARR BBAARR (Atlanta) Southern Culture

on the Skids November 21IIMMPPRROOVV CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Atlanta) Dave

Koechner November 21SSMMIITTHH’’SS OOLLDDEE BBAARR (Atlanta) Gangstagrass,

Megan Jean & the KFB November 21VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Justin

Townes Earle, Cory Branan November 21

RREEDD CCLLAAYY TTHHEEAATTRREE (Duluth, GA) Mindy

Smith November 21

TTHHEE 112200 TTAAVVEERRNN (Marietta, GA)

Waynestatic, Powerman 5000, American

Head Charge November 21TTHHEE CCOONNCCOOUURRSSEE (Knoxville) Diarrhea

Planet November 21JJ..JJ..’’SS BBOOHHEEMMIIAA (Chattanooga) Diarrhea

Planet November 22FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Mannheim

Steamroller November 22

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Slayer,

Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus November 22

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Anberlin

November 22

IIMMPPRROOVV CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Atlanta) Dave

Koechner November 22BBLLIINNDD WWIILLLLIIEE’’SS (Atlanta) The Nighthawks

November 22PPHHIILLLLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Stevie Wonder

November 22CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) David

Grisman Sextet November 22SSCCRRUUFFFFYY CCIITTYY HHAALLLL (Knoxville)

Gangstagrass, Megan Jean & the KFB

November 22

1122TTHH &&PPOORRTTEERR (Nashville) Adrian Belew,

Saul Zonana November 22

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Rhett

Miller November 23

WWOORRKKPPLLAAYY TTHHEEAATTRREE (Birmingham) Kill

the Noise, Botnek, Two Fresh November

23IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Better Than Ezra

November 23HHAARRRRAAHH’’SS CCHHEERROOKKEEEE EEVVEENNTT CCEENNTTEERR(Cherokee) Scotty McCreery, Daniel

Bradberry November 22TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Kill the Noise,

Botnek, Two Fresh November 24

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) The

Charlie Daniels Band November 24

33RRDD && LL IINNDDSSLLEEYY (Nashville) Bonnie

“Prince” Billy November 24

TTEERRMMIINNAALL WWEESSTT (Atlanta) Sevendust, A.Z,

November 25

VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Eric

Johnson, Mike Stern November 25AANNTTHHEEMM (Nashville) Kill the Noise,

Botnek, Two Fresh November 25ZZAANNIIEE’’SS CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Nashville) Ralphie

May November 25GGEEMM TTHHEEAATTRREE (Calhoun, GA) The Tams

November 26

TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) Relient K,

Blondfire November 26

SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Melissa

Etheridge November 26

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Manchester

Orchestra November 26

IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL (Knoxville) Kill the

Noise, Botnek, Two Fresh November 26IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Sevendust, A.Z.

November 26ZZAANNIIEE’’SS CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Nashville) Ralphie

May November 26TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) The 1975

November 28TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Blackberry

Smoke November 28

TTEERRMMIINNAALL WWEESSTT (Atlanta) K Theory,

Watch the Duck November 28

TTHHEE AARREENNAA AATT GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Brantley Gilbert, Tyler Farr,

Chase Bryant November 28HHEEAAVVEENN AATT TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta)

Every Time I Die, The Ghost Inside,

Architects, Hundredth, Backtrack

November 28TTHHEE BBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Moon

Taxi, Cosby Sweater November 28TTHHEE LLOOFFTT (Atlanta) Augustana, Scars on

45 November 28

BBOOUUTTWWEELLLL AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Birmingham)

Casting Crowns, Mandisa, Sidewalk

Prophets November 28

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) The 1975

November 29VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Shawn

Mullins November 29TTHHEE EEAARRLL (Atlanta) Cracker November 29CCOOBBBB EENNEERRGGYY PPEERRFFOORRMMIINNGG AARRTTSS CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Ralphie May November 29CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) The Dirty

Guvnahs November 29

MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Will Hoge, Logan Mize November 29

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Dave

Davies November 30


Johnnyswim November 30TTHHEE EEAARRLL (Atlanta) Cracker November 30RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Clint

Black, Parmalee December 1CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Johnnyswim December 1IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Blue Sky Riders

December 1

EEXXIITT//IINN (Nashville) Gwar, Corrosion of

Conformity, American Sharks December 2


Johnnyswim December 2RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 3MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Bones Thugs-n-Harmony, Gillie the Kid

December 3EEDDDDIIEE’’SS AATTTTIICC (Atlanta) Stephen Kellogg

December 3TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Black Veil

Brides, Falling In Reverse, Set It Off

December 3

TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) 3Ball MTY,

Los Rakas, Modern Baseball, Knuckle

Puck, Crying, Somos, Hostage Calm

December 3TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Jim

Brickman December 3TTHHEE GGEEMM TTHHEEAATTRREE (Calhoun, GA) Howie

Day December 4


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TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Bones Thugs N

Harmony, Gillie da Kid December 4

TTEERRMMIINNAALL WWEESSTT (Atlanta) Adrian Belew,

Saul Zonana December 4TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Common, Jay

Electronica December 4LLAAUUGGHHIINNGG SSKKUULLLL LLOOUUNNGGEE (Atlanta)

Bobcat Goldthwait December 4RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 4SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR

(Nashville) Michael W. Smith December 4

TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Steep Canyon

Rangers December 5

IIMMPPRROOVV CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Atlanta) Paul

Reiser December 5

CCOOBBBB EENNEERRGGYY PPEERRFFOORRMMIINNGG AARRTTSS CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Brian Setzer Orchestra

December 5TTHHEE EEAARRLL (Atlanta) Nashville Pussy,

Valient Thor, Against the Grain December

5TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) Obituary,

Massacre, Rivers of Nihil December 5

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Hoodie Allen,

Chiddy Bang, Taylor Bennett December 5

LLAAUUGGHHIINNGG SSKKUULLLL LLOOUUNNGGEE (Atlanta)

Bobcat Goldthwait December 5

SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) The Manhattan Transfer

December 5BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Brantley

Gilbert, Chase Bryant, Tyler Farr

December 5CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Jackopierce December 5CCOOUUNNTTRRYY TTOONNIITTEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Pigeon

Forge, TN) Ronnie Milsap December 5

GGEEMM TTHHEEAATTRREE (Calhoun, GA) Mandy

Barnett December 6

IIMMPPRROOVV CCOOMMEEDDYY CCLLUUBB (Atlanta) Paul

Reiser December 6BBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Skinny

Puppy, VNV Nation, Haujobb, Youth Code

December 6

HHEEAAVVEENN AATT TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta)

Gwar, Corrosion of Conformity, American

Sharks December 6TTHHEE AARREENNAA AATT GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Hunter Hayes, Dan + Shay, The

Railers December 6FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Anthony Hamilton

December 6MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSS IICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Haerts, Mikki Ekko December 6

BBIIJJOOUU TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Hiss Golden

Messenger December 6


Sonny Landreth, Cindy Cashdollar

December 7CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Circa Survive,

Title Fight December 7TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) Misfits

December 7KKNNOOXXVVIILLLLEE CCOOLLIISSEEIIUUMM (Knoxville)

Diamond Rio December 7SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Diana Krall

December 8

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Devin Townsend

Project, Animals As Leaders, Monuments

December 8

MMEEMMOORRIIAALL AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Chattanooga)

Joe Bonamassa December 9SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Medeski,

Scofield Martin and Wood December 9PPHHIILLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Usher December

9CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Living Colour December 9RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 10

TTHHOOMMPPSSOONN--BBOOLLIINNGG AARREENNAA (Knoxville)

Trans-Siberain Orchestra December 10

AARREENNAA @@ GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR (Atlanta)

Eric Church, Dwight Yoakum, Halestorm

December 11

PPHHIILLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) The Black Keys,

St. Vincent December 11

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 11JJAAMMEESS KK.. PPOOLLKK TTHHEEAATTEERR (Nashville) Trace

Adkins December 11TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Hard Working

Americans December 12CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Rich

Robinson December 12CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Relient

K, Blondfire December 12

JJAAMMEESS KK.. PPOOLLKK TTHHEEAATTEERR (Nashville) Trace

Adkins December 12

RRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Rich

Robinson December 13

BBJJCCCC AARREENNAA (Birmingham) Eric Church,

Dwight Yaokum, Halestorm December 13TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Tyler the

Creator December 13TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) Fozzy, Texas

Hippie Coalition, Shaman’s Harvest

December 13CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Matt

Wertz December 14

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Opeth, In

Flames, Red Fang December 15

TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Trampled By

Turtles, Nikki Lane December 17PPHHIILLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Fleetwood Mac

December 17SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Trace Adkins

December 17RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 17MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Steel Panther December 17

IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Blue October

December 18

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Amy

Grant, Vince Gill December 18

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Trampled By

Turtles, Nikki Lane December 18

AATTLLAANNTTAA LLIIVVEE (Atlanta) Norm McDonald

December 18

BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Justin

Timberlake December 19IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Trampled By

Turtles, Nikki Lane December 19TTHHEE AARREENNAA AATT GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Calvin Harris, T.I., Fallout Boy,

Jessie J December 19GGEEMM TTHHEEAATTRREE (Calhoun, GA) The Van

Lears, Faye Pierce Bentley, Wrecking

Ball, Jule Medders December 20

AARREENNAA @@ GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR (Atlanta)

Justin Timberlake December 20

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Flosstradamus,

GTA, Two-9 December 20

CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville)

Augustana, Scars on 45 December 20CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville)

Shemeika Copeland December 20TTHHEE IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL (Knoxville) Adrian

Belew December 20TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Ben Howard

January 21

TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville)

Mannheim Steamroller December 22

EEGGYYPPTTIIAANN BBAALLLLRROOOOMM AATT FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE(Atlanta) St. Paul &the Broken Bones

December 27BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville)

Bassnectar December 31WWAARR MMEEMMOORRIIAALL AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville)

Moon Taxi December 31DDOOWWNNTTOOWWNN NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Lady

Antebellum December 31PPHHIILL IIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Keith Sweat, Dru

Hill, The Isley Brothers, Jeffery Osborne

December 31

SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Gregg Allman

December 31


Cracker January 3BBII JJOOUU TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Steep Canyon

Rangers January 7FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Sam Smith

January 9EEDDDDIIEE’’SS AATTTTIICC (Atlanta) Johnette

Naplitano January 11RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Gregg

Allman January 13/14

SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Kenny Rogers January 15

HHAARRRRAAHH’’SS CCHHEERROOKKEEEE CCAASSIINNOO (Cherokee)

Gregg Allman January 16SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Kenny Rogers January 16BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Linkin

Park, Rise Against, Of Mice & Men

January 17SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR

(Nashville) Kenny Rogers January 17TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Billy Idol

January 22

MMEERRCCYY LLOOUUNNGGEE (Nashville) Of Montreal,

Nedelle Torio January 23

RRHHYYTTHHMM && BBRREEWWSS (Chattanooga) Of

Montreal, Nedelle Torio January 24VVOONN BBRRAAUUNN CCEENNTTEERR (Huntsville) Ron

White January 24VVAARR IIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Antibalas,

Zap Mama January 27CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Jeff


Daniels January 27

BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Jack

White January 28

TTIIVVOOLLII TTHHEEAATTRREE (Chattanooga) Ron White

January 31RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) John

Mellencamp, Carlene Carter January 28TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Ron

White January 30FFEERRSSTT CCEENNTTEERR (Atlanta) Arlo Guthrie

January 31TTRRAACCKK 2299 (Chattanooga) Shovels & Rope

February 3

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Kongos, Sir Sly

February 5

FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Jerry Seinfield

February 6MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSSIICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Cold War Kids, Elliot Moss February 6TTHHEE 112200 TTAAVVEERRNN (Marietta, GA) Shooter

Jennings With Waymore’s Outlaws

February 7CCUULLTTUURRAALL CCEENNTTEERR (Roswell, GA) Ruthie

Foster February 7

CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Cold War Kids,

Eliot Moss February 7

GGEEOORRGGIIAA DDOOMMEE (Atlanta) Skillet, Jeremy

Camp, Francesca Batistell, Building 429,

Family Force 5, NewSong, For King And

Country, Blanca, Veridia February 7BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Skillet,

Jeremy Camp, Francesca Batistell,

Building 429, Family Force 5, NewSong,

For King And Country, Blanca, Veridia

February 8CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Guster,

Kishi Bashi February 12

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Colin

Hay February 12

BBUUCCKKHHEEAADD TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Shovels &

Rope, Caroline Rose February 12

WWIILLDDHHOORRSSEE SSAALLOOOONN (Nashville) Rick

Springfield February 13

FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) John Mellencamp,

Carlene Carter February 13

TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Guster

February 13VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Big Head

Todd & the Monsters February 13TTHHOOMMPPSSOONN--BBOOLLIINNGG AARREENNAA (Knoxville)

Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Batistell,



February 13VVOONN BBRRAAUUNN CCEENNTTEERR (Huntsville) Brian

Regan February 14

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Shovels

& Rope February 14

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Dave

Mason February 15WWAARR MMEEMMOORR IIAALL AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville)

Dr. John February 17CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Arlo

Guthrie February 17VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Dark Star

Orchestra February 18CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Arlo

Guthrie February 18

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville)

Blackberry Smoke February 18

PPHHIILLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Maroon 5,

Magic!, Rozzi Crane February 19SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Styx February 19-21EEDDDDIIEE’’SS AATTTTIICC (Atlanta) John Hammond

February 22TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Pierce the

Veil, Sleeping With Sirens February 22BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Maroon

5, Magic!, Rozzi Crane February 22

MMAARRAATTHHOONN MMUUSS IICC WWOORRKKSS (Nashville)

Goodbye June, Kongos, Sir Sly, Colony

House February 27

TTHHEE MMAASSQQUUEERRAADDEE (Atlanta) August Burns

Red, Miss May I, Northlane, Erra March 4TTHHOOMMPPSSOONN--BBOOLLIINNGG AARREENNAA (Knoxville)

Fleetwood Mac March 8

VVAARRIIEETTYY PPLLAAYYHHOOUUSSEE (Atlanta) Hozier,

George Ezra March 10

BBJJCCCC CCOONNCCEERRTT HHAALLLL (Birmingham) John

Mellencamp, Carlene Carter March 12TTHHEE TTAABBEERRNNAACCLLEE (Atlanta) Hozier March

13RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORR IIUUMM (Nashville) Hozier

March 14MMCCKKEENNZZIIEE AARREENNAA (Chattanooga) Skillet,

Jeremy Camp, Francesca Batistell,



March 15

SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Vienna Boys Choir March 15

WWOORRKKPPLLAAYY SSOOUUNNDDSSTTAAGGEE (Birmingham)

Joshua Radin March 15CCEENNTTEERR SSTTAAGGEE (Atlanta) Joshua Radin

March 16BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville)

Fleetwood Mac March 18SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR

(Nashville) Boyz II Men March 19-21

CCAANNNNEERRYY BBAALLLLRROOOOMM (Nashville) Meghan

Trainor March 20

SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Boyz II Men March 20

BBJJCCCC AARREENNAA (Birmingham) Skillet, Jeremy

Camp, Francesca Batistell, Building 429,

Family Force 5, NewSong, For King And

Country, Blanca, Veridia March 21SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Boyz II Men March 21PPHHIILLIIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Ariana Grande,

Rixton March 24TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Brian

Regan March 26

SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Jane Lynch

March 28

FFOOXX TTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) Brian Regan

March 28

RRYYMMAANN AAUUDDIITTOORRIIUUMM (Nashville) Brian

Regan March 29

EEDDDDIIEE’’SS AATTTTIICC (Atlanta) Al Stewart March

29SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Bernadette Peters April 9-11BBJJCCCC CCOONNCCEERRTT HHAALLLL (Birmingham)

Roberta Flack April 18SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY HHAALLLL (Atlanta) Diana Krall

April 19AANNDDRREEWW JJAACCKKSSOONN HHAALLLL (Nashville)

Anjelah Johnson April 19

TTHHEE AARREENNAA AATT GGWWIINNNNEETTTT CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) The Who April 23

CCIITTYY WWIINNEERRYY NNAASSHHVVIILLLLEE (Nashville) Joan

Armatrading April 25CCOOBBBB EENNEERRGGYY PPEERRFFOORRMMIINNGG AARRTTSS CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Lewis Black May 1TTIIVVOOLLII TTHHEEAATTRREE (Chattanooga) Lewis

Black May 2CCOOBBBB EENNEERRGGYY PPEERRFFOORRMMIINNGG AARRTTSS CCEENNTTEERR(Atlanta) Bill Cosby May 2TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE TTHHEEAATTRREE (Knoxville) Lewis

Black May 3

SSCCHHEERRMMEERRHHOORRNN SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY CCEENNTTEERR(Nashville) Kenny G May 7-9

VVEERRIIZZOONN WWIIRREELLEESSSS AAMMPPHHIITTHHEEAATTRREE(Atlanta) ZZ Top, Jeff Beck May 10BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) The Who

May 11PPHHIILL IIPPSS AARREENNAA (Atlanta) Bette Midler

May 13IIRROONN CCIITTYY (Birmingham) Kamelot,

Dragonforce May 21AAAARROONNSS AAMMPPHHIITTHHEEAATTRREE (Atlanta) 5

Seconds of Summer August 5

BBRRIIDDGGEESSTTOONNEE AARREENNAA (Nashville) Taylor

Swift, Vance Joy September 25/26

GGEEOORRGGIIAA DDOOMMEE (Atlanta) Taylor Swift,

Vance Joy, Shawn Mendes October 24


OOPPEENNIINNGG TTHHIISS WWEEEEKK

Big Hero 6Robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada learnsto harness his genius—thanks to hisbrilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie GoGo Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistrywhiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred.When a devastating turn of events cat-apults them into the midst of a danger-ous plot unfolding in the streets of SanFransokyo, Hiro turns to his closestcompanion—a robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a bandof high-tech heroes determined tosolve the mystery.

Interstellar PG-13A group of explorers make use of anewly discovered wormhole to surpassthe limitations on human space travel

and conquer the vast distancesinvolved in an interstellar voyage.

NNOOWW SSHHOOWWIINNGG

23 Blast PG-13When a high school football star is sud-denly stricken with irreversible totalblindness, he must decide whether tolive a safe handicapped life or bravelyreturn to the life he once knew and thesport he still loves

Addicted RSuccessful businesswoman ZoeReynard appears to have attained it all- the dream husband she loves, twowonderful children and a flourishingcareer. As perfect as everythingappears from the outside, Zoe is stilldrawn to temptations she cannotescape or resist. As she pursues a

secretive life, Zoe finds herself riskingit all when she heads down a perilouspath she may not survive.

Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible,No Good, Very Bad Day PGFollows young Alexander through themishaps of a terrible day for his familyafter he wishes they all would experi-ence the same troubles he does.

Annabelle RJohn Form has found the perfect giftfor his expectant wife, Mia—a beauti-ful, rare vintage doll in a pure whitewedding dress. But Mia’s delight withAnnabelle doesn’t last long. On onehorrific night, their home is invaded bymembers of a satanic cult, who violent-ly attack the couple. Spilled blood andterror are not all they leave behind.The cultists have conjured an entity somalevolent that nothing they did willcompare to

Before I Go To Sleep RDue to a catastrophic accident in hermid-twenties, Christine, now a forty-seven-year-old writer, is incapable offorming and maintaining new memo-ries for more than a day. Trapped in anexistence in which she wakes every daybelieving herself to be single and witha whole lifetime of choice ahead of hershe discovers instead that she liveswith her husband, Ben, with most deci-sions already made. Through her meet-ings with a doctor who is helping her torecover her memory, Christine’s storybegins to emerge, setting in motion aseries of events that trigger startlingconsequences for her and all who love

her, leading her to question whetherthe truth is sometimes better left for-gotten.

Dracula Untold PG-13The year is 1462, and Transylvania hasenjoyed a prolonged period of peaceunder the just and fair rule of the bat-tle-weary Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia,and his beloved and brave wife,Mirena. Together, they have brokeredpeace for their country and ensured itspeople are well-protected, especiallyfrom the powerful Ottoman Empire-anever-expanding scourge that has itssights on global domination. But whenSultan Mehmed II demands 1,000 ofWallachia’s boys-including Vlad’s ownson, Ingeras be torn from their parents’homes and forced to become child sol-diers in his army, Vlad must decide: dothe same as his father before him andgive up his son to the sultan, or seekthe help of a monster to defeat theTurks but ultimately doom his soul to alife of servitude. Vlad journeys toBroken Tooth Mountain, where heencounters a foul demon and entersinto a Faustian bargain-one that givesthe prince the strength of 100 men, thespeed of a falling star and enoughpower to crush his enemies. However,he will be inflicted with an insatiablethirst to drink human blood. If by theend of three days Vlad manages toresist, he will return to his former self,and perhaps in that time manage tosave his people. Though should hedrink, he will be forced to dwell in thedarkness for the rest of his days, feed-ing only on the blood of humans anddestroying all that he holds dear.


Matthew McConaughey in Paramount Pictures’ “Interstellar”.

Fury RApril, 1945. As the Allies make theirfinal push in the European Theatre, abattle-hardened army sergeant namedWardaddy commands a Sherman tankand her five-man crew on a deadly mis-sion behind enemy lines. Outnumberedand outgunned, and with a rookie sol-dier thrust into their platoon,Wardaddy and his men face over-whelming odds in their heroic attemptsto strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

Gone Girl RGONE GIRL – directed by David Fincherand based upon the global bestsellerby Gillian Flynn – unearths the secretsat the heart of a modern marriage. Onthe occasion of his fifth weddinganniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck)reports that his beautiful wife, Amy(Rosamund Pike), has gone missing.Under pressure from the police and agrowing media frenzy, Nick’s portraitof a blissful union begins to crumble.Soon his lies, deceits and strangebehavior have everyone asking thesame dark question: Did Nick Dunnekill his wife?

John WickAn ex-hitman comes out of retirementto track down the gangsters that tookeverything from him.

Nightcrawler RLou Bloom, an ambitious young mandesperate for work, discovers theworld of L.A. crime journalism. WhenLou learns of a group of freelance cam-era crews who film crashes, fires, mur-der and other mayhem, Lou muscles hisway into the dangerous realm of nightcrawling, where a police siren wailmeans a possible windfall, and victimsare converted into dollars and cents.Aided by Nina, a local TV news veteran,Lou blurs the line between observerand participant.

Ouija PG-13A group of friends must confront theirmost terrifying fears when they awak-en the dark powers of an ancient spir-it board.

Saw RA young man named Adam wakes tofind himself chained to a rusty pipeinside a decrepit subterranean cham-ber. Chained to the opposite side of theroom is another bewildered captive,Dr. Lawrence Gordon. Between them isa dead man lying in a pool of blood,holding a .38 in his hand. Neither manknows why he has been abducted, butinstructions left on a microcassetteorder Dr. Gordon to kill Adam withineight hours. If he fails to do so, thenboth men will die; Dr. Gordon’s wife,Alison, and his daughter will also bekilled. Recalling a recent murder inves-tigation by a police detective namedTapp, Dr. Gordon realizes he and Adamare the next victims of a psychopathicgenius known only as “Jigsaw.” Withonly a few hours left to spare, theymust unravel the elaborate puzzle oftheir fate in the midst of mounting ter-ror. The killer has provided them with

only a few clues and two handsaws—too weak to break their steel shackles,but strong enough to cut through fleshand bone.

St. Vincent PG-13Maggie, a single mother, moves into anew home in Brooklyn with her 12-yearold son, Oliver. Forced to work longhours, she has no choice but to leaveOliver in the care of their new neigh-bor, Vincent, a retired curmudgeonwith a penchant for alcohol and gam-bling. An odd friendship soon blossomsbetween the improbable pair. Togetherwith a pregnant stripper named Daka,Vincent brings Oliver along on all thestops that make up his daily routine –the race track, a strip club, and thelocal dive bar. Vincent helps Olivergrow to become a man, while Oliverbegins to see in Vincent something thatno one else is able to: a misunderstoodman with a good heart.

The Best of MeWhen a mutual friend dies, former highschool sweethearts Dawson Cole andAmanda Collier find themselves back intheir hometown for the first time in 20years. Amanda has moved on with afamily of her own, but Dawson nevergot over his one true love. Their oldrelationship is rekindled, but theforces that drove them away in the firstplace are still there and violence andheartbreak are the only possible out-comes.

The Book of Life PGTHE BOOK OF LIFE, a vibrant fantasy-adventure, tells the legend of Manolo,a conflicted hero and dreamer whosets off on an epic quest through mag-ical, mythical and wondrous worlds inorder to rescue his one true love anddefend his village.

The Boxtrolls PGCheesebridge is a posh Victorian-eratown obsessed with wealth, class andthe stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneathits charming cobblestone streets dwellthe Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawlout of the sewers at night and stealwhat the townspeople hold most dear:their children and their cheeses. Atleast, that’s the legend residents havealways believed. In truth, the Boxtrollsare an underground cavern-dwellingcommunity of quirky and lovable odd-balls who wear recycled cardboardboxes the way turtles wear their shells.The Boxtrolls have raised an orphanedhuman boy, Eggs, since infancy as oneof their dumpster-diving and mechani-cal junk-collecting own. When theBoxtrolls are targeted by villainouspest exterminator Archibald Snatcher,who is bent on eradicating them as histicket to Cheesebridge society, thekindhearted band of tinkerers mustturn to their adopted charge andadventurous rich girl Winnie to bridgetwo worlds amidst the winds of change- and cheese.

The Equalizer RMcCall believes he has put his mysteri-ous past behind him and dedicated

himself to beginning a new, quiet life.But when McCall meets Teri, a younggirl under the control of ultra-violentRussian gangsters, he can’t stand idlyby – he has to help her. Armed withhidden skills that allow him to servevengeance against anyone who wouldbrutalize the helpless, McCall comesout of his self-imposed retirement andfinds his desire for justice reawakened.If someone has a problem, if the oddsare stacked against them, if they havenowhere else to turn, McCall will help.He is The Equalizer.

The Judge RBig city lawyer Hank Palmer, whoreturns to his childhood home wherehis estranged father, the town’s judge,is suspected of murder. He sets out todiscover the truth and along the wayreconnects with the family he walkedaway from years before.

The Maze Runner PG-13When Thomas wakes up trapped in amassive maze with a group of otherboys, he has no memory of the outsideworld other than strange dreams abouta mysterious organization known asW.C.K.D. Only by piecing together frag-ments of his past with clues he discov-ers in the maze can Thomas hope touncover his true purpose and a way toescape. Based upon the best-sellingnovel by James Dashner.

CCOOMMIINNGG SSOOOONN

A Merry Friggin’ Christmas PG-13Boyd and his family are forced tospend a dreaded Christmas at his par-ent’s house with his eccentric fatherthat he has been avoiding for years.When he realizes that he left his son’sgifts at home, Boyd and his father musthit the road in a blizzard to retrieve thegifts before sunrise to save Christmas.


Across2. Worn to protect theclothing6. Fermented grapejuices11. Lady's-finger13. State resident15. English princess17. Fixes18. Ogles19. Underground partof a plant20. Deuces21. Thin glutinousmud22. Authentic23. Finish first25. Biddies26. Person whosereligion is Judaism30. Devote32. Modify36. Complete change37. Shooting sport38. Sealing com-pound40. Purchase

41. Places to sleep47. Shaft horsepower49. Executive Officer50. Away54. Pal55. Imitator56. Tester57. Hawaiian port58. Draw near59. Book of the Bible60. Annoys61. Native ofSwitzerland62. Type of packsack

Down1. Florida city2. Inert elemental gas3. Move past4. Lubricates5. Yuletide6. Of moderate tem-perature7. Insert8. Planet9. Breathe noisily10. Hates intensely

12. Flightless bird14. Small dam16. Part of speech24. Rich and fashionabletravellers26. Trash27. Spouse28. Group of tents29. Genus of vermin30. Step in ballet31. Short letter33. Paint unskillfully34. Be sorry for35. Plaything39. Highest42. Public exhibition43. Judges44. Metal fastener45. Mathematics46. Raised platform47. Evade work48. Unwieldy ship51. Career golfers52. Unpleasant smell53. Salver54. Stylish

11995544Elvis Presley made his only commer-cial when he sang a jingle forSouthern Maid Doughnuts on theLouisiana Hayride radio program.Elvis sang “You can get ‘em piping hotafter four p.m., you can get ‘em pip-ing hot. Southern Maid Doughnuts hitthe spot, you can get ‘em piping hotafter four p.m.”

11995566Police use tear gas to break up a riotthat broke out during a Fats Dominoconcert in Fayetteville, NorthCarolina. Fats and three of his side-men suffer minor cuts.

Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” tookover the top spot on the Billboardchart, pushing his double sided hit“Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” tonumber two.

11995577Sun Records releases “Great Balls ofFire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. It will be hisbiggest hit, reaching number two onthe Billboard Pop chart, numberthree on the R&B list and number oneon the Country And Western chart.The single sold a million copies dur-ing its first ten days of release andwould go on to sell over five millioncopies world-wide.

1199660033-year-old Johnny Horton, who hada number one hit with “Battle of NewOrleans”, died when his Cadillac washit by a drunken truck driver inMilano, Texas. Ironically, Johnny hadjust played his last show at theSkyline in Austin, where HankWilliams had played his last show aswell. Horton’s widow, Billy Joe, wasalso Hanks Williams’ widow.

11996611Jimmy Dean’s “Big, Bad John”becomes the 100th US number onesingle of the Rock and Roll era. Itwould prove to be his only chart top-per, although he would have anotherTop Ten record with “P.T. 109” thenext year. Jimmy said he wrote thesong in an hour and a half while fly-ing to Nashville for a recording ses-sion.

Ray Charles is arrested inIndianapolis after police discovermarijuana and heroin in his hotelroom.

11996622A song called “He’s A Rebel” toppedthe Billboard Hot 100, credited to TheCrystals. In reality, the song wasrecorded by a trio known as TheBlossoms, featuring lead singerDarlene Love. Phil Spector had hasti-ly put the song together while TheCrystals were out of town and puttheir name on the label because theyhad already had two top twenty hitswith “There’s No Other” and“Uptown”.

11996633In a review of a recent show, thephrase Beatlemania is coined byLondon’s Daily Mirror.

11996655The Who release a song called “MyGeneration” which will become a sortof anthem for British teens, rising tonumber two on the UK chart. In theUS however, despite performing thetune on The Smothers BrothersComedy Hour, the song will be most-ly ignored and would get no higherthan number 74 on the Billboardchart. “My Generation” was namedthe 11th greatest song by Rolling Stoneon their list of the 500 Greatest Songsof All Time.

Bill Graham opened The FillmoreWest in San Francisco as a west coastpartner to his Fillmore East in NewYork. The venue was the launchingpad for The Jefferson Airplane, TheGrateful Dead, Big Brother And TheHolding Company and many otherlocal bands. Both sites remained inoperation until 1971. Graham died in ahelicopter crash in October, 1991 atthe age of 60.

11996666Eight weeks after their TV seriesdebuted, The Monkees had the num-ber one record in the US with “LastTrain To Clarksville”.

11996677Pink Floyd make their US debut at theWinterland Ballroom in San

Francisco. The tour will come to anearly end when Syd Barrett displaysincreasingly strange behavior, refus-ing to lip sync to “Arnold Layne” onAmerican Bandstand and refusing toanswer questions on The Pat BooneShow.

Smokey Robinson And The Miracles’“I Second That Emotion” is released.The tune will top the Billboard R&Bchart, reach #4 on the Pop chart andclimb to #27 in the UK.

11996688The Monkees’ three quarter of a mil-lion dollar feature film, Head debutsin New York. Instead of being aimedat their target audience of teeny bop-pers, the flick contains a dark themeabout the manipulation of the group,seemingly pointless walk-on appear-ances by inappropriate guests andscenes of Vietnam War atrocities.Reviews are harsh and the picture isa box office disaster.

11997700While making one of his rare stageappearances, The Beach Boys’ BrianWilson loses his balance severaltimes and has to be helped backstage.His right ear, the better of the two,sustains severe damage because ofthe volume level on-stage.

MGM Records President Mike Curbannounces that the company is drop-ping 18 acts from its roster in a moveto discredit musicians who “exploitand promote hard drugs throughmusic.” Among the acts dropped areConnie Francis, and The Cowsills, butnot Eric Burdon.

11997711Announcer Al Dvorin utters whatwould become a well-known phrase:“Elvis has left the building” at the endof a Minneapolis concert by the King.He was asked to make the announce-ment in an effort to quiet the fanswho continued to call for an encore.Ironically, Dvorin was killed in anautomobile accident following a con-cert by an Elvis impersonator inAugust, 2004.

Cher scored her first solo US numberone hit with “Gypsys, Tramps andThieves”, a song that reached #4 inthe UK. It had been four years sinceshe last appeared on the Billboardsingles chart with “You Better SitDown, Kids”.

11997722Eight weeks after entering theBillboard Hot 100, “I Can See ClearlyNow” by Johnny Nash claims the topspot. It made #5 in the UK.

After a show at Imperial College inLondon, New York Dolls’ drummer,21-year-old Billy Murcia, is acciden-tally suffocated when his girlfriendtries to wake him by forcing him to

drink coffee after he passed out fromdrugs and alcohol.

11997733The De Franco Family enjoyed theirbiggest hit when “Heartbeat - It’s aLovebeat” topped out at #3 on theBillboard chart.

11997744Three Dog Night’s next to last chart-ing record, “Play Something Sweet”,enters The Hot 100 where it will peakat number 33. August of 1975 wouldsee the end of their eight years as hitmakers when “Til The World Ends”would reach number 32.

Bad Company’s first Billboard chartentry, “Can’t Get Enough” tops out at#5. The British quartet would go on toplace eight more songs in the US Top40, but only one, “Feel Like Makin’Love”, would crack the Top 10.

Rolling Stone reports that Ted Nugenthas won the National Squirrel-Shooting Archery Contest by pickingoff a squirrel at 150 yards. Nugentalso wiped out 27 more of the smallmammals with a handgun during thethree day event.

11997755The Sex Pistols play their first showat St. Martin’s School of Art inLondon. The performance lastedabout 10 minutes.

David Bowie made his US TV debutperforming “Fame”, on the Cher CBS-


TV show.

11997766Country / Rock band Firefall isawarded a Gold record for their self-titled debut album, which includesthe #9 US hit single, “You Are theWoman”.

The Steve Miller Band scored theirsecond US number one hit, “Rock’n’Me”. It made #11 in the UK.

11997777Ozzy Osbourne quits Black Sabbath,only to rejoin a few weeks later. Heeventually leaves again to pursue asolo career.

11997788After returning from a two year hia-tus, Anne Murray topped theBillboard Hot 100 with the biggestselling single of her career, “YouNeeded Me”. It was her fourth US TopTen single and made #22 in the UK.Anne would go on to put six moresongs on Billboard’s Top 40 Popchart.

11997799British musician Robin Scott, usingthe pseudonym M, topped the US sin-gles chart with a Techno-Pop, dancetune called “Pop Muzik”. The recordhad reached number two in Englandthe previous May.

11998811Daryl Hall and John Oates achievetheir third US number one single with“Private Eyes”. Over the next threeyears they would have three more.“Private Eyes” reached #32 in the UK.

11998833The Fixx, a New Wave, Techno-Popband from London, England, enjoytheir peak U.S. chart success when“One Thing Leads To Another” reach-es #4 on the Billboard chart. The songwould later be featured in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City onthe fictional radio station Flash FM. Italso turned up in an episode of TV’sEverybody Hates Chris and in themovie The House of the Devil.

11998844After a judge rules that he shot in selfdefense, The Reverend Marvin GaySr. is given only five years probationfor killing his son, Marvin Gaye.(Marvin added an “e” to his stagename) Ironically, it was Marvin Jr.who had given his father the .38revolver used in the killing.

Billy Ocean started a two week run at#1 on the Billboard singles chart with“Caribbean Queen”. The song wasrecorded under different titles fordifferent parts of the world, resultingin versions such as “European Queen”and “African Queen”.

11998855

Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover”topped the Billboard Pop chart,becoming his ninth single to do so.The song also led the R&B, Dance andAdult Contemporary charts, makingStevie the first artist to score a num-ber one hit on four differentBillboard charts. In the UK, it reached#3.

11998866After “More Than A Feeling” reachednumber five (1976) and “Don’t LookBack” made it to number four (1978),Boston finally scored their first andonly number one single with“Amanda”.

11998877A sixteen-year-old singer namedTiffany had the top tune in the USwith a cover version of Tommy James’1967 hit, “I Think We’re Alone Now”.His rendition stalled at number four.Tiffany became the youngest act toscore a US #1 since a 14-year-oldMichael Jackson with did it with“Ben” in 1972.

11998888The Beach Boys had the number onerecord in the US when “Kokomo”,from the movie Cocktail, reached thetop. It made #25 in the UK. It had been22 years since the group had their lastUS chart topper with “GoodVibrations”. Their only other Top Tenhit in that time had been “Rock andRoll Music” in 1976.

John Fogerty was found not guilty ofplagiarizing his own song, “RunThrough the Jungle” when he wrote“The Old Man Down The Road”. Hisformer record label, Fantasy Records,had brought about the suit, whichended up costing Fogerty $400,000 inlegal fees.

11998899Former US Army Staff Sergeant BarrySadler died at a VeteransAdministration hospital in Nashvillefrom complications brought on by anun-explained gun shot wound to thehead, suffered 14 months earlier inGuatemala City. Sadler is best remem-bered for his hit “The Ballad of theGreen Berets”, which stayed on top ofBillboard’s Pop chart for five weeksin 1966. He was 49 years old at timeof his death.

11999911Carter Cornelius of The CorneliusBrothers And Sister Rose died of aheart attack at the age of 43. Theirbiggest hits were “Too Late To TurnBack Now” and “Treat Her Like ALady”.

11999944Former Palm Springs mayor SonnyBono is elected to the US House ofRepresentatives. Author RonaldKessler later pointed out in hisexpose book Inside Congress that

Bono was widely ridiculed and wascalled one of the “dimmest bulbs” inCongress by the political magazineThe Progressive.

11999955Hootie And The Blowfish reach an outof court settlement with Bob Dylanfor the group’s unauthorized use ofDylan’s lyrics in their song “OnlyWant To Be With You”.

22000022Santana topped the Billboard albumchart with “Shaman”, their fourth US#1 album. It would later be certifiedDouble Platinum by the RIAA on thestrength of the singles “The Game ofLove” and “Why Don’t You & I”.

22000033Bobby Hatfield, one-half of the Hallof Fame duo, The Righteous Brothers,died of an apparent heart attack atthe age of 63.

22000055Beach Boys singer Mike Lovelaunched a lawsuit against formerband mate Brian Wilson for usingLove’s likeness and the band trade-mark to promote Wilson’s album“Smile”, allegedly costing the otherband members millions in unpaidrevenue.

Link Wray, the electric guitar innova-tor who is often credited as thefather of the power chord, died at hishome in Copenhagen of natural caus-es. He was 76. His 1959 instrumental,“Rumble” was banned by many USradio stations, even thought it had nolyrics what so ever.

22000077The Eagles’ first studio album in 28years, “Long Road Out Of Eden”, roseto the top of the Billboard Hot 200chart after selling 711,000 copies inthe US during its first week ofrelease. The LP produced two singleson the Hot Country Songs charts: acover of J.D. Souther’s “How Long”and “Busy Being Fabulous”, both ofwhich were Top 30 hits on theCountry charts as well as Top 20 hitson the Hot Adult ContemporaryTracks charts.

22000088Daryl Hall And John Oates launched alawsuit against music publisherWarner / Chappell Music inManhattan Supreme Court, accusingthe company of failing to protect thecopyright to their 1982 hit “Maneater”after an unidentified singer had usedthe song in a 2006 recording.

22001100Jim Clench, bassist for April Wine ontheir Billboard #32 hit “You CouldHave Been A Lady” in 1972, died oflung cancer at the age of 61.

22001111

A US Federal Appeals Court ruled thatTV network NBC should not be finedfor broadcasting Janet Jackson’s nowinfamous “wardrobe malfunction” in2004. The Broadcaster aired aglimpse of Jackson’s breast during theSuper Bowl half-time show. TheFederal Communications Commission(FCC) brought the case to the USSupreme Court in 2008 to force theTV network to pay a $550,000 (345,270Pounds) fine.

Andrea True, a Disco star and actresswho had Top 40 hits with “More,More, More” (1976) and “N.Y. You GotMe Dancing” (1977), died of undis-closed causes at the age of 68.

22001122Cleve Duncan, vocalist for ThePenguins on their 1955 Billboard #1hit, “Earth Angel”, passed away at theage of 77.

Reports surfaced that JermaineJackson had filed legal papers at LosAngeles County Superior Court askingto have the spelling of his surnamealtered to Jacksun for “artistic rea-sons.” The request would be grantedin February, 2013.

22001133During an interview on Detroit radiostation WCSX, Ted Nugent was askedif he had a future in politics. Hereplied, “I have threatened to run forpublic office, because I have beenprodded to do so... I believe that Iwould perform an enormous upgradein returning to the Constitution, theBill of Rights and most important ofall, accountability.”


pursued strong legal action

against sites such as The Pirate

Bay, which they say aid the ille-

gal distribution of copyrighted

material, depriving its makers of

profits due them. “It might have

been a coincidence, but he was

wearing the same gray T-shirt

that was in the photo. The immi-

gration police officer who spot-

ted him in the car recognized

him, so he pulled his car over,”

CChhaarrttcchhaaii told The AssociatedPress by phone. CChhaarrttcchhaaii said

the 36-year-old Swede had lived

in Laos since 2012 and traveled

nearly 30 times to Thailand,

where he has a house on the

resort island of Phuket and 5

million baht ($153,000) in a sav-

ings account. NNeeiijj’’ss wife was in

the car with him. He was being

sent to Bangkok later Tuesday

and was expected to be returned

to Sweden, the police officer

said.

…It’s all about thatMMeegghhaann TTrraaiinnoorr. The pop star is

heading out on the road in

February for her first ever North

American headline tour. Before

the tour begins you’ll be able to

pick up a copy of her full-length

debut, Title, which is due out

Jan. 13. Practically the whole

world is already in love with the

six-time platinum single “All

About That Bass.” The tune –

which has been at the top of the

charts for eight straight weeks –

has tied MMiicchhaaeell JJaacckkssoonn ’’ssrecord for longest leading No.1

single in Epic Records’ history.

by 1960s counterculture hero

KKeenn KKeesseeyy and his MMeerrrryyPPrraannkksstteerrss. The band’s lineup

included RRaattDDoogg’’ss JJeeffff CChhiimmeenntt iiand DDaarrkk SSttaarr’’ss JJoohhnn KKaadd lleecciikk.FFuurrtthhuurr delivered its “goodbye”

via the band’s website,

Furthur.net. “To our loyal

FFuurrtthhuurr fans and members of theFFuurrtthhuurr community at

furthur.net, we’d like to thank

you for a terrific ride. We’ll be

closing up shop at furthur.net,

and heading onward. Thanks for

making the FFuurrtthhuurr community a

great place to hang out, and for

coming out to the shows. We’ll

all be keeping very busy over the

foreseeable future, and it’s time

to let FFuurrtthhuurr take a bow. We

enjoyed the ride more than we

can possibly express. You can

keep tabs on PPhhiill’’ss activities at

www.TerrapinCrossroads.net,BBoobb ’’ss activities at

www.BobWeir.net and all

GGrraatteeffuull DDeeaadd news at

www.Dead.net.”

…Several Georgia musi-

cians are working with a local

organization to save the steeple

of a church in Athens whereRR..EE..MM.. played its first show in

1980. Nuçi’s Space, a resource

center for musicians, hopes to

raise $250,000 for the restora-

tion effort. Donors who give

$100 to the effort will get one of

2,000 bricks that were removed

from the steeple during efforts

to stabilize it. Nuçi’s Space and

its foundation have worked to

prevent suicide among people in

the music community. The group

helps people to obtain treatment

for depression and other disor-

ders. The group said it hopes

that saving the steeple, which is

directly behind Nuçi’s Space,

helps bring awareness to the

nonprofit’s mission. RR..EE..MM.., TheBB--5522ss and the DDrriivvee--BByy TTrruucckkeerrssare among bands helping out in

the effort.

…One of the founders

of popular file-sharing website

The Pirate Bay has been arrested

under an Interpol warrant as he

was crossing into Thailand from

Laos, police said Tuesday. HHaannssFFrreeddrriikk LLeennnnaarrtt NNeeiijj, who uses

the alias TTiiAAMMOO, was detained

Monday by Thai immigration

police at a checkpoint in

Thailand’s Nong Khai province,

about 500 kilometers (310 miles)

northeast of Bangkok. NNeeiijj ,along with other Pirate Bay co-

founders, was convicted of aid-

ing copyright infringement by a

court in Sweden in 2009. He fled

the country after being released

on bail. Regional Immigration

Police Commissioner Maj. Gen.CChhaarrttcchhaaii EEiimmssaaeenngg said a U.S.-

based movie association had

hired a Thai lawyer to search for

NNeeiijj, and his photo had been

given to immigration police in

Nong Khai. The U.S. movie and

music industries have for years

RRUUMMOOUURR HHAASS IITT……

…TTaayylloorr SSwwiifftt ’’ss label

home, Big Machine, is on the

auction block. The news is

apparently linked to the recent

yanking of SSwwiifftt’’ss entire catalog

from Spotify, which lamented the

decision in a blog post on the

site. “We hope she’ll change her

mind and join us in building a

new music economy that works

for everyone,” the post said. “We

believe fans should be able to

listen to music wherever and

whenever they want, and that

artists have an absolute right to

be paid for their work and pro-

tected from piracy. That’s why

we pay nearly 70 percent of our

revenue back to the music com-

munity.” Sources reportedly

close to the matter told the NewYork Post Big Machine owner

SSccootttt BBoorrcchheettttaa is hoping to

secure more than $200 million

through a sale of the label. It’s

uncertain whether that number

is realistic.

…Founded in 2009 by

GGrraatteeffuu ll DDeeaadd members BBoobbWWeeiirr and PPhhiill LLeesshh, FFuurrtthhuurr was

named after the famed psyche-

delic-painted touring bus used


The body positive song also

holds bragging rights for the

longest No. 1 by a female artist

this year. Plus, “All About That

Bass” hit No. 1 in the U.K.,

Australia, Canada, Germany,

Austria, Denmark, Ireland and

Mexico. The single peaked at

No.1 on the iTunes singles chart

in 58 countries.

…Now that we’ve said

goodbye to the AAllllmmaann BBrrootthheerrssBBaanndd with the act’s final shows

last week, it’s time to say hello

to GGrreegggg AAllllmmaann ’’ss new solo

schedule. The outing includes a

run of gigs in Georgia along with

stops in Florida, Tennessee and

North Carolina. AAllllmmaann isn’t tak-

ing much time off the road in

between the AAllllmmaann BBrrootthheerrssBBaanndd’’ss farewell tour and his next

adventure. The solo trip begins

with a New Year’s Eve gig in

Atlanta. The Rock and Roll Hall

of famer will be joined by his

band: guitarist SSccoott SShhaarrrraarrdd,

keyboardist PPeetteerr LLeevviinn, drum-

mer SStteevvee PPoottttss, percussionistMMaarrcc QQuuiinnoonneess , bassist RRoonnJJoohhnnssoonn, and horn players JJaayyCCoolllliinnss, AArrtt EEddmmaaiissttoonn and MMaarrccFFrraannkklliinn.

…Singer-songwri terLLaauurryynn HHiillll was 45 minutes late –

twice – at the Voodoo

Experience music festival in New

Orleans. On the festival’s biggest

stage, she arrived late Saturday

and when her scheduled time

ran out about 30 minutes later,

her microphone was turned off,

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayunereported. She was finishing

“Ready or Not” when her micro-

phone was cut off and MMiicchhaaeellJJaacckkssoonn’’ss “Billie Jean” was piped

into the speakers. She kept

singing and gesturing until the

lights were dimmed. Organizers

later said she would have a sec-

ond appearance in the final hour

Saturday on the festival’s small-

est stage. That time, she again

started 45 minutes late but was

allowed to keep singing after the

festival’s 11 p.m. closing time.

…WWaayynnee SSttaattiicc, the

frontman for the metal bandSSttaattiicc--XX, has died at age 48.MMoorrggaann RReennkkeenn, who worked

with SSttaatt iicc and the band for 15

years, says SSttaattiicc died Saturday.

She declined to give the location

or the cause of the death. SSttaattiiccwas the lead vocalist, key-

boardist and guitarist for SSttaattiicc--XX, whose Wisconsin Death Tripwent platinum. He also released

a solo album, Pighammer, in 2011.RReennkkeenn says SSttaattiicc was set to

begin a monthlong U.S. tour

Monday and he planned to play

in Russia and England next year.

SSttaattiicc was a native of Muskegon,

Michigan, and lived outside of

Joshua Tree, California. He is

survived by his wife, adult film

actress TTeerraa WWrraayy.

…WWeess AAnnddeerrssoonn is

reportedly working on setting up

a theme park designed by DDeevvoo

member MMaarrkk MMootthheerrssbbaauugghh .

The pair have a long working

relationship with MMootthheerrbbaauugghhhaving scored a number of

AAnnddeerrssoonn ’’ss films, including

Rushmore and The RoyalTenenbaums. However, a joint

theme park would represent a

huge upscaling in the scope of

their collaboration. AAnnddeerrssoonnlet slip of his plan in the fore-

word to MMootthheerrbbaauugghh’’ss new

book, Myopia where he writes

(via The Telegraph): “I hope to

soon secure the means to com-

mission the construction of an

important and sizeable theme

park to be conceived and

designed entirely by MMaarrkkMMootthheerrssbbaauugghh. For 40 years he

has set about creating a body of

work which amounts to his own

Magic Kingdom, where the visi-

tor is amused and frightened,

often simultaneously.”

… JJaammeess BBlluunntt says his

record label asked him to stop

tweeting. JJaammeess BBlluunntt has

revealed that his record label

initially asked him to abstain

from Twitter before realizing

that his social media presence

was a hit with fans. Speaking to

Heat magazine, BBlluunntt said: “My

record label set up the account

and asked me to answer people,

so I did. Then they phoned me up

and asked me to stop”, continu-

ing: “Twitter is just people’s

opinions, and opinions are like

arseholes – everyone has one.”

The songwriter made headlines

earlier this year after posting a

series of sarcastic retorts to

online trolls.

If you know any truths, half-

truths or outright lies about the

music and club scene send it to

Sissy Vance c/o

[email protected].

- Sissy Vance

1. Shovels & Rope2. Leonard Cohen3. Shakey Graves4. AC/DC5. Cracker6. Foo Fighters7. Tweedy8. Ziggy Marley9. Trigger Hippy10. Elle King11. Tom Petty & TheHeartbreakers12. TV On The Radio13. Joe Bonamassa14. Bush15. Pink Floyd16. Weezer17. Jenny Lewis18. Lucinda Williams19. Fall Out Boy20. Johnny Marr

ADVENTUREPICKS

1. The Decemberists2. Ok Go3. The Lone Bellow



On a cold October night I went to

see The Beat. What I witnessed

was kind of sad. I am a late

bloomer when it comes to The

Beat. This is Paul Collins’ Beat

not the English Beat I’m talking

about. While I consider myself a

music aficionado I do not consid-

er myself a music snob.

I am quite familiar with the histo-

ry of Paul Collins. He is consid-

ered by many the “Godfather of

Power Pop”. Collins’ roots go

back about 40 years or so when

he formed a group with Peter

Case called The Nerves out in L.A.

They were a popular pop band

that played powerful three-chord

rock and roll like no one else.

They got regionally popular even

a record deal but never got above

cult status. They cemented their

legacy when a punk band out of

New York named Blondie record-

ed one of their songs, “Hanging

On the Telephone”. It wasn’t one

of Blondie’s biggest hits but you

will find it on just about every

Blondie “Best of” or compilation.

After The Nerves disbanded Case

went on to form the Plimsouls

whose big break came when they

were featured in the movie and

soundtrack of “Valley Girl” which

was Nicolas Cage’s first leading

role. Their song “A Million Miles

Away” is on every “cool” ‘80s

compilation. But enough about

Case this is about Paul Collins and

his Beat.

The Beat signed with Columbia

Records just as power pop was at

its peak. The Knack took the

world by storm with the number

one single “My Sharona” and

number one debut album “Get

The Knack” and label execs were

all about signing power pop

bands. Paul Collins and his Beat

were one of the bands signed and

they delivered with their self-

titled album in 1979. It garnered a

lot of praise from critics and the

kids took a liking to it. The first

single “Rock N Roll Girl” garnered

a lot of airplay and a spot on

“American Bandstand”. But as

quick as power pop blew up it

faded almost as quickly. Bands

like The Beat and the Plimsouls

never garnered much traction

and were left to the music snobs

and other music fans.

Despite being dropped from the

label a few albums later Paul

Collins kept the band together

and still does it preaching to

those who will listen the gospel of

power pop. Touring as Paul

Collins Beat the man and the band

just dropped a new album of

power pop classics to the world.

And he is on tour now.

This brings us back to the first

paragraph. Like I said I am a late-

comer to Paul Collins and The

Beat. I am a fan. And I finally got

my chance to see hem live. I was

disappointed when I arrived how-

ever. It wasn’t the band’s fault.

They were playing in the base-

ment of a vegetarian restaurant

called Sluggo’s North. Yep, they

were in a basement. There were

maybe 25 people in attendance

for the show and that included

members of the two opening

bands. I felt bad for Paul and I

felt bad for music as a whole.

Collins and The Beat deserved a

whole lot better.

I didn’t realize as first when I

arrived that I was sitting next to

Collins. I had my hunches but I

wasn’t sure. He had a stern look

on his face as he intently watched

the two openers. I saw him get up

and move around and pick up a

guitar case. Had I really been that

close and not acknowledged him?

Despite all this Collins and his

Beat took the stage and let it all

hang out. They were loud, they

were melodic and they rocked.

The small crowd of posers assem-

bled even put down their PBR’s to

rock along with the band. The set

consisted of a lot of songs from

their first album The Beat and

encompassed Collins’ 40-year

career including material form

the newest release. Collins and

The Beat are true troupers play-

ing their heads off for the small

but appreciative crowd. It is a

shame that hardly anyone was

here for it. For what its worth

Sluggo’s gets top kudos for host-

ing the show. They’re bringing in

better music than most of the

larger music venues in town and

hopefully people will pick up on

it besides hipsters, posers and

other freaks.

Opening the night was Thee Finks

and four-piece from Chattanooga,

TN. The quartet has been playing

around their hometown almost as

long as some of the people in the

crowd. At least three of them

have played together in various

other musical projects.

Frontman Doug Whitehead is an

underrated frontman. He is

eclectic, electric and original.

With boundless energy and

enthusiasm you can’t help but

crack a smile watching his antics.

His vocals are pretty good and he

is very engaging jumping into the

crowd and mixing it up. Easily

one of the best in what he does,

he’s just been stuck home all

these years. I just wonder if it is

what he desired.

The rest of the band is tight and

they are well versed in power

pop, rock and such. Opening for

Paul Collins is the perfect pairing

for them. It is a shame that Doug,

Tommy Cass and Jody Park

remain stuck in their hometown.

They obviously have – or had the

talent to be big. Not really sure

why they never really pursued it.

The middle act was Future

Virgins. Future Virgins are more

punk than Thee Finks or The Beat.

While their music has power pop

sensibilities they were more edgy

with a real pop feel they put on

an intense set all setting up the

crowd for what was to follow –

Paul Collins Beat.

- Dave Weinthal

Paul Collins StillHas the Beat


© Photo by Dave Weinthal







Thee FiNKS


Thee FiNKS



I’m a latecomer to RayLaMontagne. And I’m glad. Hisnew album Supernova has caused alittle controversy because of ashift in sound. While he built hisloyal following through hisacoustic singer/songwriting stylethe new album is more poppy,even psychedelic and moreapproachable to people like mewho are sick and tired of everyonebeing labeled a singer/songwriterand having to sit there quietlywhile he goes through somesinger/songwriter masturbationand politely applaud at the propertime.

It may have been Halloween whenhe performed at the Tivoli Theatrethere were no tricks - only treats.He relied heavily on Supernova asthe folkster sounded more popthan soulful. While it may be adiversion for longtime fans he hasintroduced himself to those likemyself who automatically roll oureyes when we hear someonedescribed in this day and age as a“singer/songwriter”. Sure,singer/songwriter meant some-thing in 1990, but to those like methis was always codeword to mefor someone with emotional issuesusing song to provide therapy for

returned to the stage to join himon “Meg White” from 2008’s GossipIn the Grain”. He finished thenight off with “God Willin’ and theCreek Don’t Rise” before comingout for two encores. He finishedthe night with perhaps his bestknown single “You Are the BestThing”.

Opening for LaMonagne was TheBelle Brigade. The band is frontedby a brother/sister duo with sisterBarbara Gruska on drums andyounger brother Ethan on guitarand doing the majority of thesinging. The duo were joined by

themselves and hopefully making awheelbarrow full of money doingso.

I like the new material. Some ofthe other stuff is fine as well, butthere is something to be said aboutenergy and that’s exactly whatLaMontagne and his band dis-played on this particular Fridaynight. A lot of longtime fans pissedand moaned over the new materi-al, even acting indifferent. Theypiped up when LaMontagne senthis band offstage as he performeda trio of songs solo “Burn”,“Trouble” and “Jolene”. The band

Ray LaMontagne Brings Plentyof Treats to Fans on Halloween




an additional guitarist and bassplayer and played a high-energyset that was more of an alt-popgenre than anything else.

RRaayy LLaaMMoonnttaaggnnee SSeettlliissttLavenderShe’s the One

For the SummerPick Up a GunSupernovaI Still Care for YouAirwavesOjaiRepo ManSmashing

Burn (acoustic)Trouble (acoustic)Jolene (acoustic)Meg WhiteJuliaGod Willin’ and the Creek Don’tRise

EEnnccoorree::Hey Me, Hey MamaDrive-In Movies

EEnnccoorree 22::You Are the Best Thing

- Dave Weinthal








The Belle Brigade



The Belle Brigade

Everything that goes up, the

laws of physics tells us, must

eventually go down. That down-

ward trajectory is looming in

the Dallas Cowboys future as

the visiting Arizona Cardinals

handed the team its second

consecutive defeat, 28-17, in a

game that was closer than the

final score would seem to indi-

cate.

After rattling off six victories in

a row with quarterback Tony

Romo firmly in command, the

injury he suffered last week

against the Washington

Redskins – two small fractures

in his lower back – forced the

$100 million dollar man to the

sidelines in favor of his half-

million dollar back-up, Brandon

Weeden. The drop off in pro-

duction was dramatic, and

somewhat shocking considering

how well he played coming off

the bench last week. But

appearances, as they say, can

be deceiving. That was certainly

the case with Weeden.

This game was a setback for

many reasons. Most important-

ly, it unfortunately proved that

the backup quarterback posi-

tion for the Cowboys is still a

glaring weakness. Brandon

Weeden is stellar coming off the

bench in a moments notice, but

a complete dud when he has

time to prepare. Last week

against the Redskins, the former

first round pick of the

Cleveland Browns (not a good

indicator) didn’t have time to

think when he was inserted into

the game for the injured Romo.

He engineered two successive

scoring drives for 10 points

before relinquishing his quar-

terbacking duties. With a week

to prepare against the NFL’s

worst passing defense – but

third ironically against the run

– you would have thought this

quarterback would be more

than prepared to attack the

Cardinal secondary considering

the extensive offensive

weapons he had at his disposal.

As it turns out, the pressure of

guiding this potent offense was

more than the former Oklahoma

State quarterback could bear.

This game had a promising start

to it. Arizona won the coin toss

and elected to receive. The

Dallas defense knocked the

Cardinal offense about the first

two plays before quarterback

Carson Palmer finally got his

footing. On the next three plays,

he would guide the offense to

three successive first downs

covering 40 yards before Dallas

defensive tackle Henry Melton

dropped Palmer on a nine-yard

sack. On the ensuing play, a

well-time blitz confused Palmer

and he threw the ball straight

into the arms of cornerback

Tyler Patmon who returned the

ball 58 yards for the game’s first

score. It was only the ninth


Cowboys’ Slide Continues

defensive play the undrafted

free agent from Miami had ever

played in the NFL.

Dallas’ no-name defense contin-

ued to give the Arizona offense

fits on the next series and

forced a punt. On a third and

long, Weeden dumped off a

well-time screen pass to back

Lance Dunbar that covered 40

yards and set Dallas up on the

Cardinal 30. He couldn’t take

the offense any further. Kicker

Dan Bailey was called in to sal-

vage the drive, and he did with

a 52-yard field goal with four

minutes left in the first quarter.

At that point, the highlight reel

ended for the Cowboys and

started for the Cardinals.

From the Cowboys first offen-

sive drive that produced a field

goal, to the very last one that

ended with a meaningless Dez

Bryant touchdown with a

minute left in the game, the

Dallas offense could only

muster 130 yards on 37 snaps.

Those eight drives ended with

four punts, a blocked field goal,

two interceptions and a

turnover on downs when

DeMarco Murray couldn’t

muster a yard on 4th and inch-

es.

As the Cowboy offense literally

ground to a virtual halt with

Weeden under center, Arizona’s

finally came to life with Palmer.

Two short touchdown passes on

successive possessions to tight

end John Carlson and Jaron

Brown put the Cardinals out

front with just under three min-

utes to go in the second quar-

ter. The Dallas offense found a

spark of life just before the half

when tight end Jason Witten

caught an 18-yard strike, and

Murray broke through the

stacked Cardinal line to gain 26

few inches. That momentum

shift resulted in Palmer guiding

his team 65 yards downfield in

nine plays that ended with an

easy toss to running back Andre

Ellington for 21-10 lead. A

Marion Grice one-yard plunge

for a 28-10 came moments later

after Antonio Cromartie inter-

cepted Weeden on the Dallas

28.

The drop off in production from

Romo to Weeden was painfully

obvious. It was head scratching

as well. Despite the fact he had

DeMarco Murray, the NFL’s

leading rusher in the backfield,

an All-Pro tight end in Jason

Witten, an All-Pro wide receiver

in former college teammate Dez

Bryant, a dangerous deep threat

in Terrance Williams and a

dominating offensive line, the

former Oklahoma State quarter-

back seemed confused most the

game. His errant pass attempts

went over, under and beneath

his talented receiving corps

thoroughly frustrating the group

– in particular Bryant, who was

caught by cameras on the side-

line letting Weeden have it.

Perhaps the one player who suf-

fered the most from Weeden’s

inability to take advantage of

the porous Arizona secondary

was DeMarco Murray. His

remarkable record-breaking

streak of starting the season

with eight straight 100 plus

rushing yards ended when he

carried the ball 19 times for 79

yards. With a passing attack

barely visible until the last

drive – 10-22 for 97 yards –

Arizona’s defensive coordinator

Todd Bowles was able to stack

the line and effectively end

Murray’s NFL record-making

run.

CCoowwbbooyy NNootteess –– After suffering

their third loss of the season at

home, maybe it is time for

Dallas to get out of town – I

mean really out of town say

London, England – where they

will play the 1-7 Jacksonville

Jaguars next Sunday. It will be

another game time decision as

to whether or not Tony Romo

will play in this contest.

For the second week in a row,

the Cowboys conversion rate on

third downs was pathetic.

Under Weeden’s leadership, the

team was 3-11. More important-

ly, the inability of the offense to

sustain time consuming drives

allowed the Cardinals to rattle

off 65 offensive plays and limit-

ed to the Cowboys to just 3 of 11

on third down conversions.

Dez Bryant had only two catch-

es and finished with a season

low 15 yards. It all came on a

meaningless touchdown drive

in the final two minutes with

the Cowboys down by 18. His

frustration was evident after he

caught a garbage-time touch-

down pass. Instead of crossing

his arms and flashing his cus-

tomary X to the end zone

crowd, the player headed

straight to the sidelines.

With a non-existent passing

attack to face, the Arizona

Cardinals were free to concen-

trate on DeMarco Murray. They

routinely had nine men in the

box, yet Murray had still man-

aged to gain 77 yards through

three quarters. He touched the

ball twice in the fourth, doom-

ing his chances of extending his

NFL record breaking streak of

100 yard games to start the sea-

son.

- David Huff


yards on two back-to-back car-

ries. But as quickly as the door

opened for the Dallas, Arizona’s

defense shut it down. The drive

stalled on the Cardinals’ 15-yard

line. As Dan Bailey attempted to

close the gap to 14-13 with a 35-

yard chip shot field goal,

Arizona cornerback Justin

Bethel rushed in untouched and

blocked the kick. Safety Patrick

Peterson picked up the ball and

started running downfield. A

head’s up play by Witten saved

a touchdown. But the damage

had been done. The momentum

had swung back to Arizona and

that one play would come back

to haunt the Cowboys in the

fourth quarter.

As maligned as the Dallas

defense was last year, this

group has done a great job of

bending but never really break-

ing despite the rash of injuries

it has had to endure. Going into

the fourth, the score remained

locked at 14-0. Had the offense

done its job, in particular

Weeden who over threw, under

threw and completed two dev-

astating interceptions in the

fourth quarter, the Cowboys

were in excellent position to

beat the Cardinals. Despite

those crushing miscues (espe-

cially the blocked field goal),

the team was still within strik-

ing distance of regaining the

lead. All it needed was a little

luck. Unfortunately, that’s

exactly what the team ran out

of.

With Dallas looking at a 4th and

inches on the Cardinal 36, head

coach Jason Garrett decided to

go for the first down instead of

the points. (He earlier declined

to go for it on 4th and a half

yard). The Arizona defense

thoroughly stuffed DeMarco

Murray’s attempt to gain those

What A Long, StrangeTrip It’s Been

“What a long, strange trip it’s

been.”

- Jerry Garcia

Indeed the 2014 trip has been a

strange trip for the Atlanta

Falcons coming out of the ashes

of a disastrous 2013 campaign that

saw the Falcons with their first

losing season since the days of

Byron Leftwich and Joey

Harrington (remember them?)

Hoping to shake off a 2013 season

that saw Atlanta have not only

the first losing season in five

years, but also the first in

Falcons’ coach Mike Smith’s

tenure leading the team and Matt

Ryan’s as well.

Despite all the concerns over the

defense which could easily be

sued for lack of support the

much-hyped Falcon offense lived

up to its billing in week one win-

ning a shootout with division

rival New Orleans. All hell broke

loose as the clock expired in the

Georgia Dome as Matt Bryant’s 51-

yard field goal attempt sailed

through the uprights letting

everyone forget a minute and a

half earlier when Mark Ingram

game the Saints a three point

lead. And then things got crazy

1:43 into overtime when Bryant

nailed a 52-yarder to win.

The Falcons have been an enigma

since. After losing, putting up

only ten points in week two they

turned heads on a Thursday night

when they put up 56 points in

three quarters of play against

Tampa Bay. In fact against Tampa

Bay put up 28 points one play

into the second quarter. Good

times. It has been downhill

since.

After scoring 103 points in their

first three games, my how the

once mighty high-flying Falcons

have had their wings clipped.

During the current four game los-



up 41 points to Minnesota.

They’ve given up still a lot of

points but are giving them up late

watching what was supposed to

be one of the best offenses in the

league not execute or score.

After building big leads in New

York and against the Lions the

offense forgot how to register a

first down. One or two addition-

al first downs against the Lions

and no one would be talking

about the heads of Smith and

Dimitroff. That my friend is a

lack of execution. The lack of

offense in the second half of

games keeping the Falcons

defense on the field for what

seems like an infinity is why they

have given up points late.

Ironically after all the moaning

and gnashing of teeth the Falcons

find themselves out of first place

by only two games. No one in the

NFC South is setting the world on

fire. No one has a winning

record. The Saints are leading

with a 4-4 record. The Falcons

start off the second half of the

season Sunday against the

Buccaneers who they manhan-

dled 56-14 way back in

September. Five of their next

seven games after that are

against either division leaders or

teams with a winning records

including two against Carolina.

Carolina who may be the next

easiest team on the schedule

right now with Cam Newton com-

pleting less than 50 percent of his

passes this season and a defense

not as daunting as they were last

year.

Indeed, it has been a long strange

trip indeed. Round and round we

go. Where she stops no one

knows, except maybe with anoth-

er high draft pick. We’ll just have

to see who will be around when

that times comes for Atlanta.

- Dave Weinthal

slowed down a couple of weeks

ago aggravating his surgically

repaired foot. Also of late the

man who has made more acrobat-

ic catches than a circus per-

former has had hands of stone.

Against the Bears he dropped a

half dozen throws that he usually

would haul in and in the debacle

against the Lions he dropped a

sure catch for a first down in the

waning minutes of the game that

not only stopped the clock but

forced Atlanta to punt with under

two minutes to play.

There are also concerns of the

defensive personnel and the

inability for Dimitroff to success-

fully address it. Osi Umenyiora

who was brought in from the

Giants to be a younger alterna-

tive to Abraham has pretty much

been a bust. His sack totals have

been half of what Abraham’s was.

Also Biermann has not stepped

up his game as have any of the

other drafted defensive linemen.

2013’s draft fixed what was a lia-

bility in the secondary with

Robert Alford and Desmond

Trufant. But unless you can put

pressure on the quarterback

there’s only so much any talented

cornerback or safety can do.

Injuries last season forced

Smith’s hands to start Paul

Worrilow at linebacker and he

answered well leading the team

in tackles. One of the biggest

mistakes made in personnel deci-

sions besides Umenyiora was let-

ting Curtis Lofton leave and go to

the Saints.

The past offseason saw Dimitroff

address only the offense in the

draft with Jake Matthews and

running back Devonta Freeman,

using middle round picks to

select over leftover defenders.

Prince Shembo out of Notre

Dame was a good pick but he is

being underutilized for some rea-

son.

Granted the defense has shown

marked improvement since giving

now? There are a few reasons.

First - injuries. Starting with

Michael Turner’s last year with

the team despite going 13-3 he

was greatly slowed down as were

his running stats. Last year saw

Ryan’s two biggest targets Roddy

White and Julio Jones miss a

great deal of the season as well

as high-priced free agent back

Steven Jackson who missed five

games last year and while at

times this year shows glimpses of

his old self (before arriving in

Atlanta) is not breaking as many

tackles as in years past. He has

yet to run for 100 yards in a game

since joining the team. Guard

Sam Baker missed a lot of last

season and only suited up for one

game this year before hitting the

IR. On defense Kroy Biermann

missed a majority of last season

as did linebacker Sean

Weatherspoon who is back in the

IR this year with a ruptured

Achilles tendon.

GM Thomas Dimitroff has been

under a lot of heat for his per-

sonnel decisions of late and

there might be some merit to it.

His first moves with the team

were great drafting Ryan with the

third overall pick in the 2008

draft and picking up Michael

Turner a little used back in San

Diego who now holds the fran-

chise record for touchdowns.

The following year he orchestrat-

ed the acquisition of Gonzalez

out of Kansas City, who single-

handedly helped mature Ryan as

a quarterback and team leader.

But cracks in his tenure began

when he traded away four picks

including two first rounders to

Cleveland to move up to take

Julio Jones in the draft. Granted,

Jones is a top five receiver in the

league when he’s on the field but

his durability is a big question

mark. He missed almost half of

his rookie season to injury and

stayed healthy in 2012. Last year

after a promising start he missed

the last 11 games of this season

and so far this year he was

ing streak the Falcons offense

once considered the most dan-

gerous in the league have put up

a total of 89 points. That’s an

average of less than 18 points a

game. It is also a far cry from the

2012 team that was stopped 10

yards short of the Super Bowl

that was averaging almost 29

points a game.

Much like last year injuries have

piled up for Atlanta. Last year

everyone on offense and defense

missed time. Matt Ryan has been

the only constant here. And the

Falcons are lucky for that since

the offensive line that was sup-

posedly rebuilt in the offseason

through draft and free agency to

protect their investment are

being literally held together with

duct tape smoke and mirrors.

Tight end Levine Toilolo was

thrown on the line during the

Vikings game because literally

there was no one else healthy

enough to line up. The irony in

that of course is the fact Toilolo

can hold a block better than he

can a ball proving to be a liabili-

ty at tight end as a receiver.

While he may resemble Tony

Gonzalez in build that’s about as

far as you can get on compar-

isons.

Atlanta’s biggest liability coming

into the season was the defense.

It has underperformed since John

Abraham was deemed too old (yet

had double digit sacks last year in

Arizona). Despite Mike Nolan’s

taking over the unit, his reputa-

tion has taken a big hit. He built

and maintained great defenses

with the Baltimore Ravens, New

York Jets, Washington Redskins,

New York Giants, Denver Broncos

and Miami Dolphins. Not so

much here. A lot of that has to do

with the talent he has been given

to work with.

How did the Falcons go from the

second most winning team in the

league (2008-12) to second only to

New England to where they are
